December 12, 2024 | 1:39pm
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero thumbed down notions that Congress was playing suck-up to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
During his opening remarks at the final bicam meeting for the 2025 national budget on Wednesday, December 11, Escudero said it was Congress’ responsibility to allocate resources as effectively as possible.
Escudero said this implies the budget should align with the president’s plans.
“Ano ba ang hindi sabihin ng in accordance with the plan of the president? Hindi po dahil sipsip Kongreso, hindi dahil sumusunod lang o sunod-sunuran lamang ang Senado at Kongreso sa kagustuhan ng pangulo,” Escudero said.
(What does being in accordance with the plan of the president mean? It is not because Congress is sucking up, it is not because the House and the Senate are just following orders from the president.)
Escudero said the mandate is simple: the public entrusted Marcos with the responsibility of fulfilling his promises to them.
“Sinuportahan ito ng mahigit 31 milyon sa ating kababayan. Karapat-dapat lamang na bilang miyembro ng Kongreso, bigyan daan natin ang kanyang pangako,” Escudero said.
(This was supported by 31 million of our citizens. It is just right that as members of Congress, we give way to this promise.)
The Senate president admitted having difficulty in accomplishing the budget.
Escudero described the budget process as a “zero-sum game”, saying they cannot add to something without taking away from another.
“Hindi ito perpektong dokumento. Walang budget na perpekto,” Escudero said.
(This is not a perfect document. There is no perfect budget.)
The bicam-approved budget included several major adjustments to the executive branch’s National Expenditure Program.
This included a P1.3 billion cut on the budget of the Office of the Vice President, reducing Vice President Sara Dueterte’s current budget to P733 million.
Duterte famously refused to defend her budget at the House of Representatives, skipped all other budget hearings and said that she could work with a zero budget.
She now faces an inquiry from the House committee on good governance for alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The 2025 bicam approved budget also restored the contentious Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP). The AKAP was initially deleted in the Senate, as senators said it already had a similar function to another Department of Social Welfare and Development project, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation.
Philhealth was also given zero subsidy from Congress this year. Bicam said that it must exhaust its reserve funds first.
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