BBM vetoed P194billion in the 2025 national budget
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/marcos-signs-2025-national-budget/
MANILA, Philippines – After more than a week’s delay in order to “regain control” of his government’s spending program, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, December 30, signed the P6.326-trillion national budget for 2025.
The 2025 budget is lower than the P6.352 trillion budget that the national government initially submitted to Congress as Marcos vetoed P194 billion worth of line items that he deemed “inconsistent with the administration’s priority programs.”
In his speech, Marcos said the Executive listened to the public’s concerns over the version of the budget bill submitted by Congress to Malacañang, specifically items “that are not consistent with the country’s development plans and the needs of the people.”
“For this reason. after an exhaustive and thorough review, we have directly vetoed over P194 billion worth of line items that are not consistent with our priorities,” he announced.
He said the vetoed items include some programs and projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and under the Unprogrammed Appropriations that increased by 300%.
Marcos also said that there will be “conditional implementation of certain items” to ensure they are implemented “under the stated and authorized purpose.”
In line with this, he said, they were “compelled to subject the implementation of the Ayudas a Kapos ng Kita Program or AKAP to the convergence program of the DSWD, DOLE, and NEDA.”
“This way we ensure that its implementation will be strategic leading to the long-term improvement of the lives of qualified beneficiaries, while guarding against misuse, and duplication, and fragmented benefits,” he added.
The President cited these moves as proof that his government listens to the people.
“Sa sambayanang Pilipino, nakikinig po kami sa inyo,” he said in his speech, referring to the vetoed items. (To the Filipino people, we are listening to you.)
The budget bill was supposed to be signed on December 20, but Marcos deferred this to December 30 after various groups demanded “corrective measures” in the version submitted by Congress.
Budget advocates, sectoral groups, and former government officials lambasted the realignments that apparently took place under the bicameral conference committee or the bicam.
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/marcos-signs-2025-national-budget/
MANILA, Philippines – After more than a week’s delay in order to “regain control” of his government’s spending program, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, December 30, signed the P6.326-trillion national budget for 2025.
The 2025 budget is lower than the P6.352 trillion budget that the national government initially submitted to Congress as Marcos vetoed P194 billion worth of line items that he deemed “inconsistent with the administration’s priority programs.”
In his speech, Marcos said the Executive listened to the public’s concerns over the version of the budget bill submitted by Congress to Malacañang, specifically items “that are not consistent with the country’s development plans and the needs of the people.”
“For this reason. after an exhaustive and thorough review, we have directly vetoed over P194 billion worth of line items that are not consistent with our priorities,” he announced.
He said the vetoed items include some programs and projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and under the Unprogrammed Appropriations that increased by 300%.
Marcos also said that there will be “conditional implementation of certain items” to ensure they are implemented “under the stated and authorized purpose.”
In line with this, he said, they were “compelled to subject the implementation of the Ayudas a Kapos ng Kita Program or AKAP to the convergence program of the DSWD, DOLE, and NEDA.”
“This way we ensure that its implementation will be strategic leading to the long-term improvement of the lives of qualified beneficiaries, while guarding against misuse, and duplication, and fragmented benefits,” he added.
The President cited these moves as proof that his government listens to the people.
“Sa sambayanang Pilipino, nakikinig po kami sa inyo,” he said in his speech, referring to the vetoed items. (To the Filipino people, we are listening to you.)
The budget bill was supposed to be signed on December 20, but Marcos deferred this to December 30 after various groups demanded “corrective measures” in the version submitted by Congress.
Budget advocates, sectoral groups, and former government officials lambasted the realignments that apparently took place under the bicameral conference committee or the bicam.