Budget cycle begins in Congress as DBM hands over proposed 2025 gov’t funding

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted to the House of Representatives on Monday morning, July 29, the proposed 2025 budget of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s economic managers.

The Marcos administration is seeking a funding of P6.352 trillion for 2025, which is 10.1% higher than the current year’s P5.768 trillion national budget.

The DBM’s briefer provides the following breakdown for priority sectors:

• Education: P977.6 billion (up from P968.9 billion in 2024)
• Public works: P900 billion (down from P997.9 billion in 2024)
• Health: P297.6 billion (down from P308.3 billion in 2024)
• Interior and local government: P278.4 billion (up from P263 billion in 2024)
• Defense: P256.1 billion (up from P240.6 billion in 2023)
• Social welfare: P230.1 billion (down from P248.1 billion in 2023)
• Agriculture: P211.3 billion (down from P221.7 billion in 2024)
• Transportation: P180.9 billion (up from P73.9 billion in 2024)
• Judiciary: P63.6 billion (up from P60.2 billion in 2024)
• Justice: P40.6 billion (up from P38.2 billion in 2024)

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman led the executive branch during Monday’s formal submission of the National Expenditure Program to the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The executive branch’s turnover of the proposal to Congress signals the start of the budget cycle in the legislative branch, with committee-level deliberations expected to kick off as early as next week.

Similar to the timetable in the past two years, House Speaker Martin Romualdez committed to have the budget approved by his chamber before it goes on break in October.

“We will make sure that enough funds will be allocated for social services and for programs that will sustain our economic growth,” he said in a statement on Sunday, July 28.

Last year’s budget debates in Congress put front and center Vice President Sara Duterte’s request for confidential funds for 2024, amounting to P650 million.

The controversy surrounding the Office of the Vice President’s swift disbursement of P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 eventually resulted in Congress’ denial of her request for secret funds for the current year. – Rappler.com