PBBM wants immediate passage of 2025 budget

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has certified as an urgent measure House Bill No. 10800, or the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which provides for the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

In a letter addressed to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Marcos underscored the “necessity of the immediate enactment” of the GAA.

He noted that this is to “ensure the uninterrupted operation of critical government functions, guarantee the allocation of fiscal resources for vital initiatives, and enable the government to adeptly respond to emerging challenges.”

The letter, which was dated 29 October but only released to media on Tuesday, was also furnished to the office of House Speaker Ferdinand Romualdez and Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza.

The 2025 GAA was approved on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives on 25 September, only a day after the President certified the measure as urgent.

With the certification from the President, the Senate now has the power to approve the bill on second and third reading the following day without the required gap of three days between second and third reading.

At the moment, the Senate has yet to conclude its marathon plenary debate on the proposed national budget for the next year.

In a separate text message, Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said the chamber is “on track” with its schedule.

“Yes, today is the last day of the budget debates according to the agreed schedule,” Poe said.

“But it won't go to second reading immediately as we need to give time to the senators to prepare their amendments based on the plenary debates,” she added.

As of press time, senators are deliberating the proposed budgets of the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.