Marcos reschedules signing of 2025 budget bill as 'certain items to be vetoed'

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will no longer be able to sign the P6.352 trillion national budget plan for next year by December 20, 2024, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Wednesday.

"The scheduled signing of the General Appropriations Act on December 20 will not push through to allow more time for a rigorous and exhaustive review of a measure that will determine the course of the nation for the next year," Bersamin said in a statement. 

Bersamin said that Marcos is consulting with the heads of major departments in an "ongoing assessment."

"While we cannot yet announce the date of the signing, we can now confirm that certain items and provisions of the national budget bill will be vetoed in the interest of public welfare, to conform with the fiscal program, and in compliance with laws," added Bersamin. 

Previously, Marcos' sister, Senator Imee Marcos, and Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri proposed the return of the ratified 2025 budget bill to Congress.

They said that the President had the option to request the Bicameral Conference Committee (bicam) to make revisions.

"[The President] can always tell the Bicameral Conference Committee to return it and to do a better job and we can work overtime. Pwede. Posible yan, ha? We did that for the Coco Levy Fund. We did that for the Anti-Smuggling Act, na binalik po yung bicam report para ayusin," Zubiri said on Monday. 

This, as Zubiri raised concerns about the potential violation of the constitutional mandate that education receives the highest budgetary priority.

"Napakalaki ng cut. Almost P42 billion on the education sector. So, sana po, ma-remedy pa po ni Presidente yun," Zubiri said.

(The education sector faced an almost P42 billion cut. Hopefully, the  President can address this with his veto powers.)

Zubiri noted that public works, rather than education, now appeared to receive the largest budget share, contrary to constitutional provisions.

Senator Imee Marcos supported Zubiri’s suggestion, urging the President to thoroughly scrutinize the budget.

"Siguro ang tanging panawagan na lamang ay suriin nang maigi ng ating Pangulo  at siya na lang ang mag-utos na ibalik 'yan. Kahit magtrabaho kami ng  Pasko, walang problema. Wala namang Pasko ang mahihirap eh," Senator Marcos said.

(My appeal is for the President to review the General Appropriations Bill carefully. He can order its return to Congress if necessary.)

She emphasized  Congress's willingness to work through the holidays to address any issues and cited previous instances when budget bills were sent back for revision.

Among the questionable budget items Senator Marcos flagged were:

• P26 billion allocated to the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP),
• The removal of the PhilHealth subsidy, and
• A substantial increase in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget, now at P1.1 trillion.

DepEd, PhilHealth

House DeputyMajority Leader Paolo Ortega of La Union previously clarified that a smaller budget does not indicate a lack of prioritization.

"Hindi naman po porke bumaba [ang budget] ay hindi na po priority. It is one of the priorities and it's one of the big priorities of this administration. There are just programs that need to be reassessed because it is not responsive to the needs of the people," Ortega said during a press conference.

(Just because the budget was reduced does not mean it’s no longer a priority. Education remains one of this administration’s key priorities. However, some programs need reassessment as they fail to address the people’s  needs effectively.)

Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Accord pointed out PhilHealth’s inefficiencies, particularly its outdated case rate adjustment, which had not been updated since 2014.

"Back in 2014, the case rate will only cover 14% of the total hospital bill.  If PhilHealth did its job, the coverage would have been 30% to 40%.  [And] based on the assessment of Congress, we have more than enough funds to cover that for at least next year," Acidre added.

House Assistant Majority Leader Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales echoed this, noting PhilHealth’s significant unused funds.

"PhilHealth has P20 billion in unutilized funds in 2023. Additional funding is not the solution here.  Members of PhilHealth should benefit from their contributions through increased PhilHealth coverage," Khonghun added

—VAL, GMA Integrated News