Kimberly Capuyan

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on December 25, renewed the call to address the possibly unconstitutional provisions in the proposed 2025 national budget bill before it gets signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.


In a text message to reporters, Zubiri said that concerns for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) computerization, the possible unconstitutionality of the education sector no longer being the priority of the budget allocation, and the zero funding for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) must be addressed.

“That would help stave off possible legal action in the Supreme Court that might render a decision declaring the budget unconstitutional and therefore delay its implementation and effectivity,” he added.

The bicameral conference committee previously reduced DepEd’s budget to P737 billion after a P12 billion cut from the supposed P748.6 billion funding approved by the House of Representatives.

Aside from DepEd, the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was also cut by P86 billion.

The budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) ballooned from P825 billion to a record of P1.1 trillion after an estimated P289 billion increase.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced on December 24 that Marcos will sign the P6.352-trillion proposed national budget for next year on December 30.

The national budget bill was initially scheduled to be signed on December 20 but was deferred for further review.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that certain provisions of the national budget bill will be vetoed in the interest of public welfare.

The PCO said on December 23 that Marcos conferred with the economic cluster, including Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Marcos and his Cabinet are “thoroughly reviewing” the provisions of the proposed 2025 budget “to make them conform to the Constitution,” Malacanang said.