Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday, December 18, expressed his agreement to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to defer the signing of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). “It is part of the legislative process and the system of checks...
Some senators on Wednesday, December 11, expressed their sadness over some provisions in the final version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) which proposes a P6.352-trillion national budget for next year. This, even as the Upper Chamber, led by Senate President Francis...
Some senators expressed their displeasure upon learning that the bicameral conference committee has approved a zero subsidy budget for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp, (PhilHealth) under the proposed 2025 national budget. Deputy Minority Leader Sen. Risa Hontiveros said denying...
The Bicameral Conference Committee has retained the P733-million budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under the proposed P6.352-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). This was disclosed by Senate Finance Committee Chair Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday, December 11, after the...
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will get zero subsidy in the P6.352-trillion 2025 national budget. This was according to Senate Finance Committee Chair Senator Grace Poe, citing that they still have their P600 billion reserve fund. "Nakita natin PhilHealth, yung subsidiya na...
The bicameral conference committee tasked to reconcile the conflicting provisions of the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 have agreed to hold an “open bicam” during the next meeting. Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, said both the...
Only a few major differences will be tacked by the bicameral conference committee on disagreeing provisions of the 2025 budget according to Senate Finance Committee Chair Senator Grace Poe. Sen. Grace L. Poe delivers her opening remarks as the head of Senate panel and chairperson of the Committee...
Even with the controversial P1.3 billion budget slashed from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Senate Finance Committee chair Senator Grace Poe said the office can still perform its mandate with P733 million. In a press conference on Wednesday, November 27, Poe said that members of the Upper...
Vice President Sara Duterte’s allies in the Senate have accepted the inevitability they won’t be able to press for a higher budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025 given the current circumstances. Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said the OVP’s budget for next year...
Voting 18-0-1, the Senate approved on third and final reading on Tuesday, Nov. 26, House Bill 10800 or the P6.352 trillion 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). In plenary, Senator Grace Poe enumerated during the period of committee amendments how the Senate maximized the budget to secure the...
Senator Imee Marcos has formally asked Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero to fine-tune the procedures in the upcoming bicameral conference committee (bicam) meeting on the 2025 national budget. In her letter to Escudero, which she coursed through Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the...
Senator Grace Poe assured on Sunday, November 17 that next year’s budget has sufficient funds to ensure there is fast and timely relief to communities affected by calamities and disasters. Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance and leading the deliberations on the...