House turns over 2025 budget bill

THE SENATE on Thursday received the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) from the House of Representatives, on track with the finance committee’s target to receive it by Oct. 25 and for the national spending plan to be sponsored before plenary by early next month, according to the Senate Secretary.

In an advisory, Senate Secretary Renato N. Bantug, Jr.  said Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero tasked Senate personnel to wait to receive the GAB amid heavy rainfall due to Severe Tropical Storm Trami (Local name: Kristine).

Mr. Escudero had ordered the suspension of work at the Senate due to the heavy rains.

He earlier said the Senate is aiming to start plenary debate on the proposed national spending plan by the second week of November once it is sponsored by around Nov. 6.

The Senate would then target to approve the P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 by the second week of December at the latest, in time to submit the legislation to the Palace before Congress adjourns, the Senate president said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has certified the bill as urgent, allowing Congress to do away with the mandated three-day interval between bill readings.

Under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, the Budget department slashed the proposed budgets for agriculture, health, and social welfare sectors by 4.7%, 7.6%, and 3.4%, respectively. — John Victor D. Ordoñez