PBBM vetoes two items in 2024 national budget

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed two items in the 2024 national budget seeking the establishment of the National Government's Career Executive Service Development Program and a revolving fund for the Department of Justice.

Malacañang on Friday said that Marcos, in a letter to the House of Representatives on 20 December, decided to veto the two items from the 2024 General Appropriations Act provisions.

The Chief Executive rejected the implementation of the NGCESP, or Section 38 under the General Provisions of the GAA, since "it does not relate to any particular appropriation in the budget."

Marcos mentioned a Presidential Decree that made establishing the Career Executive Service Board possible.

"PD No. 336 further delineated the functions of the CESB as the governing body of the Career Executive Service and the Development Academy of the Philippines is tasked to prepare a CES program appropriate and necessary for the organization and operation of the CES, and in consultation with the CESB, initiate and continue to implement the aforesaid program," Marcos said.

"Moreover, Section 8 (2), Chapter 2, Subtitle A, Title I, Book V of Executive Order No. 292, s. 1987 (Administrative Code of 1987), also considered a substantive law, expressly prescribed that entrance to the third level career service position shall be prescribed by the CESB," Marcos added.

No revolving fund for DOJ

Meanwhile, Marcos explained that the DOJ could not establish a revolving fund because there is "no law" allowing the Justice Department to make such a move.

"It may be emphasized that the service fees sought to be charged and collected are to be imposed upon complaints and affidavits filed with the National Prosecution Service, and petitions for review filed before the DOJ, when, in fact, such pleadings are filed with the said agencies by their jurisdiction vested by law," Marcos said.

The charges being collected, according to Marcos, "are not from business-type activities within the contemplation of the General Provision on Revolving Funds in the GAA."

Marcos signed into law the P5.768 trillion national budget for the upcoming year, up by half a trillion pesos compared to 2023's P5.26 trillion.

Confidential and intelligence funds for civilian agencies such as the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education, headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, are excluded from the budget next year.