P6.3-T proposed budget submitted to House for deliberation

The record-high P6.352 trillion proposed budget of the Marcos administration for fiscal year 2025 was formally submitted on Monday to the House of Representatives, which guaranteed that every peso of the allocation would be meticulously examined. 

Next year’s appropriation is 10.1 percent higher than this year's P5.768 trillion and is equivalent to 22.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product. It is poised to be the highest national budget ever approved by Congress. 

The education sector, which includes the Department of Education — the largest bureaucracy — and the Commission on Higher Education, will get the lion's share at P977.6 billion or 15.4 percent of the entire National Expenditure Program (NEP).

The Department of Public Works and Highways, being the second priority, is allotted P900 billion, much lower than this year’s P997.9 billion. 

Meanwhile, P297.6 billion will go to the health sector, including Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. 

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, on the other hand, will receive an increase in next year’s national budget at P278.4 billion.

Next among the top priorities is the Department of National Defense, which has allocated P256.1 billion — a P15.5 billion increase from this year’s P240.6 billion.

This was followed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which incurred a significant decrease of P230.1 billion to the current year’s P248.1 billion allocation.

Also suffering a notable budget cut is the agriculture sector — the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Reform, and their attached agencies — at P211.3 billion from this year’s P221.7 billion. 

The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, is poised to get P180.9 billion — a boost from this year’s P73.9 billion.

The Judiciary and the Department of Justice will, likewise, see an augmentation in their respective budget in 2025 at P63.6 billion and P40.6 billion, respectively. 

At least P28.8 billion will be set aside for the Department of Science and Technology.

To combat graft and corruption, Budget chief Amenah Pangandaman said P70.6 billion will be earmarked to rapidly digitalize the bureaucracy.

The Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Tourism would also be allotted P8.6 billion and P3.4 billion, respectively. 

House Speaker Martin Romualdez guaranteed that the proposed national budget will undergo rigorous scrutiny to ensure that taxpayers’ money will be used “wisely” and that every centavo would go to the project, program, or activity for which it is appropriated.

"We, here in Congress, will continue to monitor the spending of these funds. We will ensure that every tax peso will also be returned to the people through programs and projects," Romualdez said.

In the same vein, Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co, chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, which will spearhead the budget deliberations, also vowed that they would uphold transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility throughout the budget deliberation process. 

"We must ensure that every peso is directed towards initiatives that will uplift the lives of our fellow Filipinos, improve our infrastructure, strengthen our educational and healthcare systems, and secure our nation's future," he stressed. 

“It’s crucial that we examine each allocation meticulously to ensure the most effective use of our resources,” he stated.

The NEP turnover signals the start of extensive budget hearings aimed at addressing the nation's most pressing needs.