Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Senators and congressmen pose for pictures after the panel adjourns. RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

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Bicam

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733889463413GefR0jya0AEIYZo.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Senators and congressmen pose for pictures after the panel adjourns. RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senators and congressmen pose for pictures after the panel adjourns. <em>RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA (UPDATE) — Senate and House lawmakers on Wednesday wrapped up the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2025 budget, with both panels adopting the report to reconcile their versions of next year&#x27;s spending plan.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/11/new-law-opens-up-school-counselor-jobs-for-psych-guidance-counselor-graduates-1117">Marcos certifies 2025 national budget bill as urgent</a></div><p>&quot;Today, we proudly mark the successful conclusion of the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).The House of Representatives and the Senate worked together to craft a budget that supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision for a Bagong Pilipinas,&quot; House Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a statement.</p><p>Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros meanwhile said the two-member minority bloc will not sign yet until they have studied the report.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/9/25/house-approves-2025-budget-2254">House approves 2025 Budget</a></div><p>The report has yet to be released to the media but Sen. Grace Poe, Senate finance committee chair, said it mostly reverts to the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or the original budget proposal of the President. </p><p>President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. proposed a P6.352-trillion national budget next year.</p><div><strong>OVP BUDGET CUT FINAL</strong></div><p>Poe later told reporters that the bicam maintained the reduced budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) at around P700 million.</p><p>&quot;Ganon pa rin. Kung ano yung napasa natin sa Senado at yun din pareho sa House, na-retain yung budget ng OVP,&quot; Poe said, explaining that the OVP did not ask for an increase.</p><p>&quot;Well, unang-una, hindi naman sila informally or formally humingi na ng increase. Kung meron man, nasasabi siguro sa inyo through the media. Pero hanggang dun sa pag-submit namin ng committee report, wala pa namang hiniling,&quot; Poe added.</p><div><strong>AKAP</strong></div><p>The panel also kept the controversial Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), but with a reduced amount of over P20 billion from about P39 billion, and senators will have a say in its implementation unlike before.</p><p>&quot;Yung AKAP, nagkaroon ng pag-uusap tungkol dyan. Alam naman natin na yung AKAP ay inisiyatibo ng House of Representatives,&quot; Poe said.</p><p>&quot;Pero bilang co-equal body at para naman may transparency, ang Senate ay meron ding pagkakataon na makatulong sa pamamagitan ng AKAP,&quot; Poe added.</p><p>Poe explained that the panel made sure the AKAP will have better guidelines now.</p><p>&quot;Mare-release ko yan mamaya. Pero definitely, yun nga yung sinasabi ko, for minimum wage earners and below, tapos in crisis situations, of course, with the supervision rin ng DSWD,&quot; Poe explained.</p><div><strong>PHILHEALTH</strong></div><p>Poe meantime said that the PhilHealth&#x27;s budget turned out to be very contentious, but in the end they decided that it should not get any more budget from the government because of their excess funds.</p><p>&quot;PhilHealth, ito ang isang very contentious. Nakita natin na ang PhilHealth, yung subsidiya na binibigay ng gobyerno, na hindi man lang nila nagagamit. Ang PhilHealth ngayon, kung hindi ako nagkakamali, merong P600 billion na reserve funds. Naka-deposito lang yan sa ewan ko kung anong account nila nilalagay but definitely kung anong kinikita niyan, mas mababa pa sa inflation. So, lugi pa yung gobyerno,&quot; Poe explained.</p><p>&quot;So, sa ngayon, ang PhilHealth ay hindi nabigyan ng budget. Sapagka&#x27;t kailangan nilang gamitin muna yung kanilang reserve funds na kung nakikita ninyo, marami nang nagagalit dahil hindi nabibigyan ng tamang reimbursement... Kung nakikita naman natin na ganong karami ang pera nila, kailangan gamitin nila yun. Dahil nasasayang lang. Anong ginagawa nung, ba&#x27;t nila iniimbak lang doon doon?&quot; she added.</p><p>Poe however said that this does not mean the PhilHealth gets zero.</p><p>&quot;Hindi naman sila zero kasi meron silang bang operating cost. So, yun ang sinasabi ko. Pero yung allotment na ibibigay sa kanila ngayon ay nilagay natin doon sa mga departamento na mas nangangailangan.&quot;</p><div><strong>POOLED FUNDS</strong></div><p>Poe explained that the final adjustments were made from pooling funds taken away from agencies for redistribution to other agencies who need it.</p><p>&quot;Alam mo, isang kabuuan naman yan. Merong mga iba na nataasan yung budget, may mga iba na nabawasan. Pero ang importante dito, ang mga nataasan na budget, unang-una yung mga economic sector. Yung economic sector, ito yung wealth generating. Ang ibig sabihin nito, improvement sa ating mga ports, seaports, rail, transportation sector, infrastructure, yun yung mga nabigyan dito sa economic sectors.&quot; Poe said.</p><p>Poe likewise explained there are lower unprogrammed funds.</p><p>&quot;Oo, yung unprogrammed funds natin, hindi katulad ng dati na maraming nalagay sa unprogrammed, ngayon mas mababa na.&quot;</p><p>They also removed the special provision allowing the transfer of excess funds from state companies.</p><p>Poe said they&#x27;re hoping for both the Senate and the House to ratify the bicameral reports Wednesday night so they can send the final budget to the President for signature.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p3oUerjcLmg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senate and House lawmakers on Wednesday wrapped up the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2025 budget</p>

Senate and House lawmakers on Wednesday wrapped up the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2025 budget

Senate, House lawmakers wrap up bicam meeting on proposed 2025 budget

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Senate, House lawmakers wrap up bicam meeting on proposed 2025 budget

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 11, 2024 12:51 PM PHT

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Updated December 11, 2024 02:24 PM PHT

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