President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is reviewing the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or the 2025 national budget proposal. As a result, the goal of signing the budget on 20 December will not push through.

"The scheduled signing of the General Appropriations Act on December 20 will not push through to allow more time for a rigorous and exhaustive review of a measure that will determine the course of the nation for the next year," Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.

He added that Marcos is assessing the budget proposal himself and is in consultation with major department heads.

The GAB is currently surrounded by issues after lawmakers did not allocate funds for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and slashed ₱10 million from the budget for the Department of Education (DepEd).

Senators argued that PhilHealth has ₱600 billion in reserve funds, which is more than enough to fund its services for a year. Marcos, earlier, shared similar statements.

The budget cut for DepEd, on the other hand, was meant to be used to acquire computers for public schools. Marcos said the reduced budget was "contrary" to what the government is doing and assured stakeholders that they will work on restoring the budget to help DepEd.

Meanwhile, amid budget cuts, the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis (AICS) remained funded, which earned the ire of several lawmakers who argued that it is "useful" during election time instead of allocating it to PhilHealth or DepEd.

Line items to get 'veto'

Without disclosing specific items in the GAB, Bersamin confirmed that certain items and provisions of the national budget bill will be vetoed "in the interest of public welfare."

"We can now confirm that certain items and provisions of the national budget bill will be vetoed in the interest of public welfare, to conform with the fiscal program, and in compliance with laws," he said.

The new date for the budget signing has not yet been announced.