Senate hikes 2025 OP budget for hosting of ASEAN 2026

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during the opening ceremony of 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit in Lao PDR. Revoli S. Cortez, PPA Pool/FileMANILA -- The Senate hiked the  Office of the President's 2025 budget by P5 billion to fund the preparation of the country's hosting of the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, Senate Finance Committee Chair Grace Poe said.

From just P10.4 billion in House Bill 10800, the Senate version brought up the OP's 2025 budget to P15.8 billion.

"So napaka-konti ng ating time to prepare. They have to be able to secure a venue. If I'm not mistaken, we actually met with Executive Secretary Bersamin at sinabi niya na actually yung mga ASEAN na 'yan, they have to prepare a venue for about 400 meetings. Kasi may mga cluster meetings yan, 300 to 400 cluster meetings, not to mention security, what do you call this, housing, all of these, not just for the main delegates but even for the staff. So, 2026 yun eh, kung hindi ako nagkakamali. So, we have to prepare by next year. Hindi pwedeng ora-orada yun," Poe said in a press conference. 

Budget chief sees potential revision of economic targets

The Senate and the House of Representatives, meanwhile, will convene a bicameral conference committee on from Thursday November 28 to December 9 to finalize a budget version that will be submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr for signature. 

"So, bukas yung first Bicam. Tapos, if I'm not mistaken, December 4, yun yung dapat tapos na yung Bicam natin. Tapos, am I correct? Oh, December 9 pala. December 9. So, hold on, ha? " Poe said. "Okay, December 9. December 9 yung next. Tapos at saka, basta alam ko yung target date na pirmahan ng presidente, 19? Mga ganon. Ngayon, we're kind of on schedule if not a little bit ahead. 'Di ba? We are on schedule. " 

AKAP

Poe expects the controversial budgets of the Office of the Vice President and the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program of the House of Representatives to be among the contentious issues between Senators and Congressmen. 

"Iyan yung opening bicam, 'di ba lahat ng vice chairs imbitado. Lahat kayo, imbitado. Magsiksikan tayong lahat doon. 'Di pa ba nabibigay? Sheraton. We were looking for other venues, pero apparently, dahil magpa-Pasko, medyo puno na. So, as much as we can accommodate everyone's welcome, and then what we're going to do is submit the points of convergence and points of what do you call this, conflict, di ba? Meron naman talaga doon na, alam naman natin, no, number one, AKAP, di ba? Yan yung magiging discussion doon. Number two, OVP, di ba? At marami pang mga iba na pwede nating pag-usapan doon sa Bicam," Poe said. 

Poe doubts the two houses will be deadlocked. 

Why the Senate decided against increasing the OVP's 2025 budget

"Hindi naman siguro kasi doon pa lang, de sasabihin ng House, o, gusto namin ganito-ganito yung AKAP. Okay, bakit, ano, paano ba ito? Sabihin nila, kasi alam mo, ito hindi nagagawa ng AICS eh. Kasi actually, yung proposal ni Senator Imee, Vice Chair of Finance for DSWD, is ilodge na lang sa DSWD, AICS, diba? Yung mga ganon. So, okay, marinig natin sa House, bakit hindi pwede? At bakit hindi mas epektibo yun? So, yun. Yun yung pag-uusapan natin doon," Poe said. 

Poe explained that the AKAP has been merged with another aid program, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, in the Senate version for better implementation. Poe said the House still has a chance to convince the Senate why the program should be a standalone. 

"Well, alam mo, kaya rin naman namin, well, through the Vice Chair of Finance, Senator Imee [Marcos], ang ginawa dun sa AKAP. Kasi nga hindi namin masyadong maintindihan yun. So magandang pagdating sa Bicam ay malinawan, mabuti ng House bakit importante ito at hindi ito umuulit lang sa isang proyekto ng gobyerno or isang programa. Ganito yun. So yung AKAP, imbis na naging AKAP dito sa Senado, naging additional pondo para sa senior citizens retirement pension, naging additional pondo sa Kalahi  CIDSS kung saan merong college assistance, merong child care assistance, naging additional pondo para sa livelihood programs, farmers and fisher folk. So, meron pinaglipatan rin na nandoon na naka-embed na social program. Kasi, eto ha, in broad understanding of what AKAP is, it's supposed to be assistance for the effects of inflation," Poe said.

"Whereas, AICS is really specific for indigents. Okay, ngayon, sino bang hindi apektado sa inflation? Lahat tayo, diba? So we have to be a little bit more particular about how this will be distributed. Who are the recipients of AKAP? What are the criteria for it? So hindi naman natin sinasabing huwag na, no? Pero tandaan natin ang AKAP, we just restored it to the NEP, which is walang AKAP. And remember, the NEP, is the DBM's in collaboration with the executive's. So this is the President's budget, di ba? We can probably move things around, but at the end of the day, the NEP was the basis of what the Senate saw, na Walang AKAP. So now, silang naglagay nun ng House, we'll ask them, open Bicam, bakit?" 

"So hindi naman natin sinasabi na hindi ma-re-restore ito pero gusto lang namin malaman na ito ba talaga ay justified at hindi lang umuulit sa isang programa at ito ba talaga ay magiging benepisyo sa mga nangangailangan talaga. Kasi nga, very generalized yung to help with inflation. Kasi pwede naman mayaman pero apektado ng inflation, diba? So, yun lang naman. Bukas naman tayo sa kanilang rason," Poe said.