(MANILA BULLETIN)

The House of Representatives officially received on Monday, July 29, the P6.352-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) or the proposed national budget for 2025. 

Like past budget measures, next year's NEP has its own priority sectors for spending. 

In a statement, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman bared that the proposed budget for next year was crafted with the “highest levels of care, diligence, and meticulous attention to detail”.

The P6.352-trillion outlay--which is equivalent to 22 percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP)--is a 10.1 percent hike from the current P5.768-trillion budget for 2024.

Following the Constitutional mandate for education to have the biggest share in the government funding, the education sector will receive P977.6 billion or 15.4 percent of the proposed budget.

Covered by the allocation are the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The DBM said this would likewise be utilized for government assistance and subsidies, basic educational facilities, and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE), among others.

In pursuit of the Marcos administration’s “Build Better More” initiative, the public works sector will get the second highest allocation with P900 billion to finance various public infrastructure projects.

As a distant third, the health sector will get P297.6 billion. This will help fund priority health programs, such as the operations of public health facilities and the National Health Insurance Program.

Following this sector is the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) with its P278.4 billion funding.

The DILG’s funding covers the operations of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and other agencies that maintain peace and order nationwide.

The funding for the Department of National Defense (DND) has been increased from this year’s P240.6 billion to P256.1 billion. This will be earmarked for priority programs and priorities, such as the Land Defense Program, Air Forces Defense Program, and Naval Forces Defense Program.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) follows after this with a P230.1 billion budget in 2025 that aims to cover various social protection programs, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The agriculture sector, which includes the Department of Agriculture (DA), its attached agencies, and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), will be allocated P211.3 billion.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), meanwhile, will be granted P180.9 billion. This sector recorded the highest funding increase among all key sectors, with a 144.8 percent increase from the P73.9 million budget in 2024.

To support the daily operations of the the Supreme Court (SC) and lower courts, the Judiciary will be given P63.6 billion in 2025.

Lastly, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will get P40.6 billion to fund its Law Enforcement Program, Corrections Program, and Legal Services Program.

With the transmittal of the 2025 NEP to Congress, the House Committee on Appropriations chaired by Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co will soon start its deliberations on the proposed budget.