PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday met with members of his Cabinet to discuss the 2025 national expenditure program, Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez said as he dismissed the possibility of the government operating on a reenacted budget next year.
The President met with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan to review the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget.
Chavez said the printed copy of the 2025 budget bill was only received by the Office of the President late Friday afternoon,
Asked if there are possibilities of a reenacted budget, he said that “in the past two meetings that I attended with them, there was never any discussion on that (reenacted budget).”
Chavez said the President hopes to act on the spending measure before the year ends.
The President was originally scheduled to sign the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) last December 20. This, however, was deferred after he ordered a thorough review of the spending measure to ensure that it will be spent on the priority programs and projects of the government.
Marcos also wants to ensure that there are enough safeguards included in the budget amid what he said were “insertions” made by lawmakers in the National Expenditure Program submitted by Malacañang.
The President had said that some of the projects inserted by members of the Senate and the House of Representatives lack the necessary documentations and were not clear where the fundings would be spent.
Bersamin had earlier said that the President is set to veto some line items in the consolidated budget version submitted by Congress.
Marcos said budget officials are working to “put it (budget) back in the same shape that we had first requested.”
