Palace confident no legal challenges to 2025 budget

Malacañang on Monday expressed confidence that the recently signed P6.326 trillion budget for 2025 will face no legal challenges.

In a Palace press briefing, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin addressed concerns about potential legal issues surrounding the 2025 budget.

''Yes, to answer your question, we are confident. But we cannot prevent if there will be challenges that will be mounted by any quarter who might still find this present budget, as approved, worthy of the challenge. But, that is something that we cannot prevent,'' Bersamin said.

''I am confident that we worked very hard on this and that our efforts will be validated by any kind of luck or challenge. So, we are not going to encourage the challenge.''

Earlier, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri highlighted the importance of addressing potentially unconstitutional provisions in the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Bill before President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed it into law.

Zubiri raised concerns about the reduction in the education sector's budget and the zero funding allocation for PhilHealth in the proposed bill.

In the finalized budget, the education sector received the highest allocation, amounting to P1.055 trillion.

Meanwhile, state insurer PhilHealth is reported to have sufficient resources despite receiving no government subsidy for fiscal year 2025. — DVM, GMA Integrated News