Escudero sees passage of 2025 budget by 1st half of December

Sen. Grace Poe and Senate President Francis Escudero (File photos)

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Chiz Escudero sees the approval of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on the 2025 national funding by the first or second week of December.

According to Escudero, the Senate is on track to finish the committee deliberations of some agencies’ budgets.

This schedule is based on his discussion with Sen. Grace Poe, who heads of the Senate finance committee,  and the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office.

“Ayon [din] sa Kamara, isa-submit nila ang GAB sa October 25. Sabi ko, baka pwedeng mas maaga para ma-review na namin,” said Escudero in a press conference on Wednesday.

(According to the House of Representatives, they will also submit the GAB on October 25, so I asked if they can transmit it at an earlier date so we can review it.)

But then, he underscored that the lower chamber’s timeline for the transmittal is October 25.

Should the GAB be transmitted by October 25, Escudero said the Senate is ready to file a committee report by November 4 once session resumes.

“[A]t inaasahan namin na November 6 at the latest, kung maka-chamba, November 5 the following day ay ma-sponsor na ang panukalang budget ng 2025,” he noted.

(And we are expecting that by November 6 at the latest, or maybe it can also happen on November 5 the following day, for us to sponsor the proposed budget for 2025.)

“Baka masimulan na rin namin ang interpellations sa general principles ng November 5 or 6 at magpapatuloy ang plenary debates the following week,” he added.

(Maybe we’ll also be able to start the interpellations on the general principles by November 5 or 6. We’re expecting that plenary debates will continue the following week.)

According to the Senate leader, they need to transmit the consolidated measure on the 2025 funding to the Palace for the president’s approval before the Senate once again goes on break.

“Inaasahan namin, maaprubahan ang budget at the latest the second week of December, at the earliest first week of December,” he said.

(We are expecting that the budget will get approved at the latest — the second week of December [or] at the earliest — the first week of December.)

The proposed 2025 national budget amounts to P6.3 trillion.

The figure is a 10.1 percent increase from the current national budget of P5.7 trillion, as the Department of Budget and Management had also earlier projected.