President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed the 2025 national budget worth P6.326 trillion on December 30, just before the year ends. The approved budget is lower than the initial P6.352 trillion proposal, as Marcos vetoed more than P194 billion worth of line items he deemed inconsistent with the administration’s priorities.
Among the vetoed items are P26.065 billion in Department of Public Works and Highways projects and P168.240 billion in “unprogrammed appropriations.” Marcos emphasized the importance of ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent on priority initiatives, stating, “The appropriation of public funds must not break the public trust.”
The president highlighted the “conditional implementation” of some programs, including the Ayuda sa Kapos ng Kita Program (AKAP). He said the program would be integrated into the efforts of key agencies, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to ensure its efficiency and prevent misuse or duplication of benefits.
The budget signing was initially scheduled for December 20 but was delayed after several groups raised concerns over realignments and discrepancies in the congressional version. Notably, Congress drew criticism for allocating P26 billion to AKAP while cutting the Department of Education’s budget and providing no subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
PhilHealth’s lack of funding was attributed to its unused P600 billion in resources. Despite this, PhilHealth officials assured members that their benefits would not be affected.
