MANILA, Philippines — A bicameral conference committee meeting to harmonize the conflicting provisions in the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 has been set either on Dec. 9 or 10, according to Sen. Grace Poe.
Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on finance, said the technical working group (TWG) has yet to complete its task to reconcile the disagreeing provisions of the national budget passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“The TWG is not yet done. The committee is still in the process of identifying all disagreeing provisions of the General Appropriations Bill and the Senate version of the 2025 national budget,” Poe said in a message to reporters.
A bicameral conference committee, composed of eight members of the Senate and 16 members of the House of Representatives, is reconciling the conflicting provisions of the House and Senate versions of the bill.
On Nov. 28, the committee created a TWG to harmonize the conflicting provisions of House Bill 10800, or the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.
Among the controversial provisions of the bill is the P1.3-billion cut in the allocations for the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
In an earlier interview, Sen. Imee Marcos criticized her colleagues for adopting the House decision to cut P1.3 billion from the OVP’s 2025 budget proposal.
“Senators (Ronald) Bato (dela Rosa), Bong Go, Robin Padilla, Villar and I felt bad. There were many of us, 11, 12, but were ignored,” Marcos said, although she did not specify whether the Villar she referred to was Sen. Cynthia Villar or her son, Sen. Mark Villar.
All the senators mentioned by Marcos, however, voted for the passage of the proposed 2025 national budget as only Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III abstained.
Poe maintained that “the new budget would capacitate all agencies to perform their mandate to deliver quality service that our people need.”
Support for AFP
Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday reassured the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ leadership of the government’s commitment to give its financial support, which includes the proposed P350 daily allowance for soldiers.
“Our soldiers are the backbone of our nation’s security and defense. We must ensure they have the resources they need to serve with honor and dedication,” he said, despite calls from ex-president Rodrigo Duterte for the AFP to stage a coup.
Seventeen top-ranking AFP generals and senior flag officers paid a courtesy call on the Speaker yesterday, whose delegation was referred by Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, to discuss key priorities and challenges faced by the military.
Romualdez underscored the importance of providing adequate resources to the AFP to safeguard national security and maintain peace and order, both internally and externally, especially in light of repeated intrusions of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Delon Porcalla