House approves P6.352-trillion 2025 budget, cuts VP office funding

The House of Representatives approved a P6.352-trillion budget for 2025 during a session on Wednesday, September 25.

Lawmakers adopted amendments proposed by the committee on appropriations and approved them via viva voce or voice voting, capping month-long deliberations.

The bill includes a proposal to reduce the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) budget from P2.037 billion to P733 million due to concerns over low budget utilization in some OVP programs, such as Magnegosyo Ta Day.

During deliberations, it was revealed that only 0.04 percent of funds - P600,000 out of P150 million - had been utilized under the Magnegosyo Ta Day program by December 2023.

Speaker Martin Romualdez emphasized the importance of sufficient funds for public service delivery and rejected further reductions or elimination of OVP's budget despite some lawmakers' proposals.

The reduced OVP budget will see P1.3 billion realigned to social services projects of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health.