P6.352-T 2025 budget ‘ready before Xmas’

The Senate is targeting the approval of the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 before the holiday season, Senator Grace Poe said Saturday.

In a radio interview, Poe, who now chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said she would exhaust all efforts to finish the upper chamber’s deliberations on next year’s National Expenditure Program (NEP) as early as possible.

“I will do my best. You know, there are 23 of us in the Senate, each with a voice and their advocacies,” she said.

“So, what’s important is that we all come together so we can ensure that the budget will truly go to our citizens and that we can address their needs,” she added.

Last week, Poe, with Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and the other senators received the 2025 National Expenditure Program from Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman at the Senate Ceremonial Hall.

The 2025 NEP proposes a P6.352-trillion national budget, which is 10.1-percent higher than this year’s P5.768-trillion allocation.

DPWH in crosshairs

Poe specifically said she would scrutinize all government agencies’ proposed budgets for next year, specifically the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) allocation for flood control projects.

“My promise as chair of the Senate Committee on Finance is to thoroughly review the budgets and how they are spent because there have been many complaints about issues like flood control,” she said.

“They say that a huge amount goes to flood control, but it seems the implementation of the projects is not being done properly,” she noted.

Under the 2024 General Appropriations Act, the DPWH received a P244.6-billion budget for its flood management program.

Senators last month questioned the persistent flooding in Metro Manila and other areas of the country, particularly during the onslaught of typhoon “Carina,” despite the huge chunk of funding from the national budget.

It was later revealed by the DPWH that the country does not have an integrated flood-control master plan.