House starts deliberations on P6.352 trillion budget

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives starts today the deliberations on the proposed P6.352-trillion national expenditure program (NEP) for 2025 of the Marcos administration.

First to face the House committee on appropriations will be the economic team, which comprises the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) – the Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Finance and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

According to Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, committee vice chair, they will begin with the presentation of the DBCC to “determine the macroeconomic assumptions used in formulating the budget presented to Congress, the sources of funds, and priority expenditures.”

“This will be the basis of the Committee on Appropriations in filing the General Appropriations Bill that will be approved at the plenary,” Quimbo said, referring to the GAB that contains the NEP.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House would like to know from the economic managers “how the country could sustain its economic growth and how such growth could benefit our people.”

“Our economic expansion, projected by multilateral financial institutions at between 5.9 to 6.2 percent next year, should be felt by our people, especially the poor, in terms of more job and income opportunities, more affordable food on their table and lower consumer prices,” Romualdez said.

He noted that many of the poor complain that the economic boom is benefitting only the rich, the big companies and the stock and financial market investors.

“They say they cannot eat economic growth. If majority of our people do not feel our economic expansion, they should at least see it in terms of the proper use of the national budget for social services, education, health, infrastructure and direct financial assistance to the poor and other vulnerable sectors,” Romualdez added.

Under the NEP, the education sector remains the top priority getting P977 billion in 2025, higher than the proposed P968 billion for 2024. The proposal will cover the budget for the Department of Education, state colleges and universities, Commission on Higher Education and the Technical