Some members of the House of Representatives are pushing for a higher allocation for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) slashed its budget by nearly P9 billion in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During the House Committee on Appropriations budget deliberations on Wednesday, the DTI revealed that it had initially requested for at least P19 billion for next year, but the DBM only granted it P10,598,958,000.

Of the total, P8,295,790,000 will be allocated to the Office of the Secretary and its attached agencies, while P2 billion will go to attached corporations of the department, according to DTI Assistant Secretary Michel Kristian Ablan.

The Office of the Secretary will receive the biggest chunk of the budget at P6.3 billion, followed by the Cooperative Development Authority at P889 million, the Board of Investments at P613 million, the Construction Industry Authority at P157 million, Design Center of the Philippines at P172 million, and the Philippine Trade Training Center at P78 million.

The House panel’s vice chairperson, Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia, expressed dismay at the “unfortunate” budget cut.

De Venecia lamented that the budget cut would surely harm the DTI’s main programs, namely, exports and investment development, industry development, MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises ) development, consumer protection, and consumer education and advocacy.

The initiatives are on top of the 12 major programs the DTI and its attached agencies implement.

“Within this context, the DTI’s 12 major programs will have a total appropriation for 2025 amounting to P5.35 billion, lower by 5.9 percent than in 2024,” he said.

According to De Venecia, the industry development program, under which the Malikhaing Pinoy is subsumed, was significantly reduced by P349 million in the 2025 proposed budget.

“This program is close to the President as it merited a special mention in last month’s SoNA (State of the Nation Address),” he remarked. “It is thus unfortunate that in the 2025 NEP Malikhaing Pinoy received a shattering P50 million.”

De Venecia encouraged his colleagues to rally behind an increase in the DTI budget, which he stressed is not only “instrumental in strengthening our country’s trade, industry, and investment activities but [also] intensifies private sector activity to accelerate and sustain its economic growth.”

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez backed the call, contending that Congress should “not allow” such a cutback in the agency whose role is “vital in the development of our country.”

“I am so discouraged Mr. Chairman and aghast because of the P19 billion requested by the DTI only [P10 billion] was approved by the DBM. Mr. Chairman, they do not deserve this reduction,” Rodriguez said.