The plenary hall of the House of Representatives (Dexter Barro II/MANILA BULLETIN)

The House of Representatives has terminated the 2025 budget debates for the Department of Finance (DOF), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and all their attached agencies during the grueling first day of plenary debates, which ended late Monday night, Sept. 16.

The period of interpellation and debates on the P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) was kicked off at 10 a.m. Monday.

Sultan Kudarat 2nd district Rep. Horacio Suansing, who sponsored the DOF’s budget, manifested the need to increase the budget of the department and its attached agencies.

Suansing specifically sought an increase in the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) budget, which was earmarked with P17.68 billion or about 54 percent of the total DOF budget of P33.75 billion for 2025.

He said additional funding to BIR “will sustain its consistent performance in expanding tax revenue collections through enforcement activities against individuals, businesses and large corporations involved in illicit trading activities”. 

Lanao de Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong expressed support for additional funding for another DOF-attached agency, specifically the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

“The BOC is not only an agency tasked on regulating imports and exports, but it is one of the government’s agent for wealth creation, and its performance has a direct and measurable impact on our national coffers,” said Adiong.

“I believe, Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that we provide it with the necessary resources to continue its outstanding results,” he stressed.

The lawmaker is pushing for an additional P6.71 billion to BOC’s proposed budget of P5.63 billion—which would total to P11.734 billion if granted.

Meanwhile, during the plenary interpellation of the DBM’s proposed 2025 budget, the budget vetting process of the agency itself was put into question.

Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st district Rep. Paul Daza asked how the DBM decided on its own budget prior to the submission of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to Congress.  

In response, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo—the budget sponsor of the DBM—said the department has a specific unit that vets its proposed budget.

Quimbo pointed out that the DBM originally requested a budget of P4 billion, but the NEP recommendation was only P3 billion.