DBM to submit P6.352T budget for 2025 today

THE budget season will officially begin today at the House of Representatives as Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is set to submit Malacañang’s proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for fiscal year 2025.

The submission of the National Expenditure Program (NEP), which will be the basis for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill, will take place at the Romualdez Hall at 10:00 a.m.

The submission to Congress of the NEP comes exactly a week after the opening of the third and last regular session of the legislature and the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos Jr.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House is ready to receive the NEP and to immediately start marathon committee deliberations to scrutinize the proposed budget of each department and agency “to ensure that agencies are judiciously spending the money allocated to them.”

The House leader reiterated his commitment to have the proposed budget approved before Congress goes on recess in October.

“We will make sure that enough funds will be allocated for social services and for programs that will sustain our economic growth,” said the Speaker, adding that the House will align its version of the 2025 budget with the President’s spending priorities and the administration’s “Agenda for Prosperity.”

After inspecting flooded areas in Metro Manila last week, Romualdez has vowed to review flood control projects in the metropolis and other flood-prone parts of the country and scrutinize their proposed budgets.

The proposed budget for next year is about P585 billion, or 10.1 percent, higher than this year’s P5.767 trillion outlay. It is likewise equivalent to 22 percent of gross domestic product.

Pangandaman has said that the proposed 2025 budget is anchored on three pillars of the Philippine Development Plan: Pillar 1 – Develop and Protect the Capabilities of Individuals and Families; Pillar 2 – Transform Production Sectors to Generate More Quality Jobs and Competitive Products; and Pillar 3 – Create an Enabling Environment.

In her presentation, the budget chief also mentioned that key factors were considered in evaluating the 2025 budget proposals,