22 Dec 2024 – Group hits ‘glaring anomalies in 2025 budget’

Jose Rodel Clapano – The Philippine Star
December 22, 2024 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed P6.352-trillion 2025 national budget approved by the bicameral conference committee violated the Constitution for not giving the “highest budgetary priority” to the Department of Education (DepEd), the 1Sambayan coalition said yesterday.

In a statement, 1Sambayan urged President Marcos to convince Congress to reconvene the bicameral conference committee and correct the glaring anomalies in the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“(We at) 1Sambayan strongly condemn the two most glaring anomalies in the proposed 2025 GAA as approved by the bicameral conference committee. First is the violation of the Constitution which mandates: ‘The state shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education,’” 1Sambayan said.

The coalition also highlighted the absence of budgetary allocation for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) while criticizing the budget allocation of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“The budget of DPWH is P363 billion more than the budget of DepEd… What is even more revolting is that while the proposed 2025 GAA increases the budget of DPWH by P213 billion to build more flood control projects, re-blocking of roads, rock netting, reflectorized signs and similar dubious public works, it effectively enables these projects to promote graft and corruption in government. These projects mostly constitute the politicians’ pork barrel projects from where they derive commissions of as much as 60 percent,” 1Sambayan said.

“The shocking absence of any budgetary allocation to PhilHealth is in violation of the Constitution which mandates on the matter of health: ‘There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children.’ The state shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers,” it added.

The group also condemned Congress’ move of not allowing PhilHealth to get its share from sin taxes, which must automatically be remitted to the state health insurer in accordance with law.

The proposed 2025 national budget gives the DPWH a budget of P1.1 trillion while giving only P737 billion to DepEd. The bicameral committee also rejected the P74.43-billion budget proposal of PhilHealth.

The coalition also criticized the increased budget of the legislative branch of the government, saying that it deprives the Armed Forces of the Philippines of modernizing its equipment, especially for strengthening the country’s defense in the West Philippine Sea, with the proposed budget for AFP modernization reduced by P15 billion from P50 billion.