Palace: Education sector still gets lion share of 2025 budget

The education sector obtained the highest share in the P6.326 trillion budget for fiscal year 2025, government data showed. 

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. signed the 2025 General Appropriations Act on Monday wherein the education sector received an allocation of P1.055 trillion.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to the education sector.

The sector was followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with P1.007 trillion; Department of National Defense (DND) with P315.1 billion; Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with P279.1 billion; Department of Health (DOH) with P267.8 billion; and the Department of Agriculture at P237.4 billion.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) came next with P217.5 billion; Department of Transportation (DOTr) with P123.7 billion; Judiciary at P64.0 billion; and Department of Justice (DOJ) at P42.2 billion.

Meanwhile, Marcos vetoed P194 billion worth of projects which were “inconsistent with the administration’s programmed priorities.'' These include some of the programs and projects of the DPWH classified under “Unprogrammed Appropriations.”

In vetoing P26.06 billion DPWH programs, Marcos said they were carefully considered taking into account the urgency, implementation-readiness, and absorptive capacity of the implementing agency.

When it comes to the unprogrammed appropriations, the Presidential Communications Office said the expenditures should generally be within the parameters of programmed resources envisioned by fiscal planners.—AOL, GMA Integrated News