Marcos certifies P6.352T 2025 budget as urgent

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has certified House Bill No. 10800, which outlines the P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025, as urgent and sent it to the Senate on October 29.

The bill aims to ensure continuous government operations and allocate resources for vital initiatives while allowing the government to address new challenges.

Marcos emphasized the importance of passing this measure by certifying its urgency, which enables Congress to approve the bill on second and third reading on the same day.

Following certification, the House of Representatives approved the proposed budget on September 25 with a vote of 285 in favor and three against.

The Senate is currently wrapping up plenary debates and aims to approve the national budget by December 2nd at the latest, before Congress goes on break on December 21st.

Under the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the Budget department has proposed cuts in agriculture, health, and social welfare sectors, but the Senate's committee report increased the total proposed budget for the Department of Health to P277.996 billion from the initial P217.388 billion.

Senators are focusing on ensuring additional funding for health, education, livelihood, and defense agencies as part of their amendments.