House starts plenary debates on 2025 national budget

THE House of Representatives will begin today plenary deliberations on Malacañang’s proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025, targeting to complete the discussions in eight session days and approve the spending measure by September 25.

Congress will go on recess on September 28.

Speaker Martin Romualdez thanked Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, Ako Bicol), chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the panel’s senior vice chair, for finishing the committee hearings and endorsing the budget to the plenary on time.

Romualdez said the House is devoting eight days for plenary debates, which will start at 10 a.m. until the agenda for the day is finished.

The lower chamber is eyeing to pass the proposed budget on third and final reading on September 25. The turno en contra, or the remarks against the spending proposal, and period of amendments are also scheduled for that day.

“It (national budget) will be our instrument in directly helping the poor through various social protection, financial aid and medical programs, and in keeping food prices down, particularly the price of rice which has fallen to P42 a kilo,” Romualdez said.

The House leader said that through the budget, “we hope to help our farmers and fisherfolk increase their harvest, which in turn will mean adequate food supply and lower prices for the benefit of all Filipinos.”

Romualdez said the budget “will also serve as our roadmap for expanding infrastructure and supporting education by funding the building of more road networks and classrooms, especially in underserved communities.”

“It will be our tool for sustaining our country’s economic growth, which we hope to keep at six percent or higher in line with the forecasts of international lending institutions,” he said.

The House’s morning’s deliberations will kick off with Co’s sponsorship speech, followed by debates on general principles and the budgets of the Department of Finance, Department of Justice and National Economic and Development Authority, including their attached agencies, the Judiciary, and lump sum appropriations.

On Tuesday, the House will tackle the proposed budgets of the Office of the Ombudsman,