Despite BBM veto, Public Works budget still exceeds Education
Numbers don’t lie, people do.
The Department of Public Works and Highways’ 2025 budget remains “bloated” at P1.113 trillion.
That’s despite President Bongbong Marcos’ ballyhooed P26-billion veto of certain items to bring it down to a still fat P1.087 trillion.
Despite also his admin’s claim that DPWH’s budget is lower than Education’s P1.055 trillion.
These figures are stated in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (RA 12116) published in the Official Gazette.
Two retired justices pointed those up Friday in asking the Supreme Court to stop the “unconstitutional, illegal” allocations.
Congress’ bicameral conference committee on the national budget stirred up public uproar last Dec. 11. It enlarged DPWH’s original P825 billion by 35 percent, or P288 billion.
Critics decried Public Works as mostly pork barrels, from which lawmakers plunder up to 70-percent kickbacks.
The original P825 billion was what Malacañang proposed on July 29. The House of Reps approved it on third reading on Sept. 25 and the Senate on Nov. 26.
On Dec. 11 the “bicam of two” padded it to P1.113 trillion, which both chambers hastily ratified.
To assuage public furor, BBM on Dec. 30 made a show of vetoing P26 billion. Bringing it down to P1.087 trillion.
But the 4,057-page GAA is presented confusingly (https://tinyurl.com/2025-GAA):
• DPWH’s P1.113 trillion is in Volume I-B, Section XXI, Page 1;
• BBM’s P26-billion veto is quoted in far Page 755;
• The P26 billion is itemized in farther Volume I-C, Page 281.
But justices Antonio Carpio and Conchita Carpio-Morales were undaunted. On behalf of 1Sambayan, they petitioned the SC to halt any more implementation of the faulty 2025 GAA.
They were joined by UP professors Cielo Magno and Dante Gatmaytan, health care reformist Dr. Minguita Padilla and Marie Marguerite Lopez of Sanlakas.
They questioned three anomalies in the 2025 GAA, namely that:
(1) Education got less than Public Works.
This violates the Constitution’s Article XIV, Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports, Section 5(5), “The State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education.”
(2) No funds were allocated to PhilHealth.
This breaks Article VI, Legislative Department, Section 26(1), “Every bill passed by Congress shall embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title thereof.”
By giving PhilHealth zero, the 2025 GAA in effect wrongfully revised sin taxation on alcohol, tobacco and sweets. Also, automatic subsidies to PhilHealth under Universal Health Care Act.
(3) P26 billion was inserted to the political Ayuda sa Kapos Kita (AKAP).
This breaches the 2013 Supreme Court ruling against pork barrels, defined as “discretionary lump sums for shady purposes.”
Respondents in the petition are the Senate, House and Office of the Executive Secretary “as primary alter ego of the President.” Also the Depts. of Budget and Management, of Finance, and of Public Works and Highways.
Petitioners avoided naming the heads of the six branches and agencies. They enumerated admin attempts to make the budget look upright. Excepts:
• On Dec. 30 BBM said the P26 billion vetoed from DPWH was “not consistent with our programmed priorities.”
• Same day, DBM’s slideshow made it appear that Education got highest allocation, P1.055 trillion. It separated DPWH as P1.007 trillion and DOTr as P180.9 billion, despite previously presenting them as one sector.
It combined under Education’s P1.055 trillion the DepEd, CHED, state universities and colleges, TESDA, Local Government Academy, PNP Academy, Philippine Public Safety College, National Defense College, Philippine Military Academy, Philippine Science High School and Science Education Institute.
It threw in Education-related infrastructure to be built by DPWH, and Education’s share of government employees’ second-trance salary increases.
• DepEd’s P782 billion is less than DPWH’s P1.007 trillion.
• P48 billion for specialized colleges, national defense institutions and DPWH school constructions ballooned Education to P1.055 trillion. Removing this P48 billion, Education is left with P1.0076 trillion – less than DPWH’s P1.0079 trillion.
• DPWH’s P1.007 trillion excludes Education’s P14-billion and Transport’s P123.7-billion infrastructure. Adding them up, Public Works’ P1.146 trillion is clearly higher than Education’s P1.055 trillion.
• Assuming that Education’s P1.055 trillion is true, it’s still P75 billion less than the combined P1.131 trillion of DPWH and DOTr.
• DBM claimed that DepEd got P782 billion. But GAA states only P737 billion.
• DBM claimed that DPWH got P1.007 trillion. But GAA states P1.113 trillion.
• DPWH’s P1.113 trillion far exceeds DBM’s inflated P1.055 trillion for Education.
This is the third SC petition against the 2025 GAA. Reps. Pantaleon Alvarez and Isidro Ungab questioned blank items in the enrolled bill submitted to Malacañang. Health care reformist Dr. Tony Leachon wants it voided for excluding PhilHealth.
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Electricity consumers in Davao del Norte and de Oro recently won legislation. Congress enfranchised Davao Light and Power Co. to expand into seven more areas in the adjoining provinces.
Sent to Malacañang March 6, the bill is awaiting President BBM’s signature. Or it can lapse into law on April 6.
This is a victory for consumers who have long-suffered frequent blackouts, poor service and exorbitant rates under an electric cooperative.
Davao Light is known for reliability and efficiency. Rates are 26-27 percent lower.
Mayor David Uy of Island City of Samal allotted P300 million for a submarine cable to connect to Davao Light. Before that, his town lost P150 million a year due to intermittent power. It severely affected tourism, local businesses, homes, public services and infrastructure, agriculture and fisheries.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri authored the service expansion bill. In Senate hearings, Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib asked where P3-billion “power bill deposits” went after collection by the moribund co-op.
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