Escudero, Romualdez confident on early passage of 2025 budget bill
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Wednesday, September 25, said they are confident that Congress would be able to pass the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 on time.
Escudero and Romualdez made the assurance during a press briefing after the 6th Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting.
Romualdez said the House will pass House Bill No. 10800 or the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) on third and final reading on Wednesday night and it would be ready for transmission in short order to the Senate.
“Malacañang has certified the measure as urgent…and so that will be done,” Romualdez said in Filipino during the press conference.
“We held budget hearings on the different budget proposals of each department in the Senate simultaneously with the House, and we are also waiting for the House to approve their version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) so deliberations on the 2025 budget can start in the Senate plenary,” Escudero said.
“Right now, the Senate committee hearings are right on schedule and we expect it to be approved with enough time for it to be read and reviewed by the President in relation to the line item vetoes he can make on the budget bill and pass it into law before the end of the year,” Escudero also said.
Asked what would happen to the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Romualdez said they will take the matter up but they would still wait for Vice President Sara Duterte or any of her representatives to speak to them.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has certified House Bill No. 10800 or the 2025 GAA as urgent.
The proposed 2025 national budget is 9.5 percent higher compared to this year's P5.268-trillion.