Sen. Grace Poe, head of the Senate finance panel (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is set to conclude its marathon plenary debates on the proposed 2025 national budget on Tuesday, according to Sen. Grace Poe.
Poe, who heads the chamber’s panel on finance, said the Senate adhered to the schedule that all senators had agreed on.
“Yes, today is the last day of the budget debates according to the agreed schedule,” Poe told reporters in a text message.
“But it won’t go to second reading immediately as we need to give time to the senators to prepare their amendments based on the plenary debates,” she added.
On the last day of the plenary debates, senators are set to tackle on the floor the proposed 2025 funding of the following agencies:
- Department of Social Welfare and Development
- Department of Trade and Industry
- Department of Information and Technology
- Department of Public Works and Highways
- Department of Health
- State Universities and Colleges
- Budgetary Support to Government Corporations – Southern Philippines Development Authority
- Commission on Higher Education
- Other executive offices
Earlier, Senate President Francis Escudero said senators need to transmit the consolidated measure on the 2025 funding to the Palace for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval before the Senate once again goes on break.
“We are expecting that the budget will get approved at the latest on the second week of December or at the earliest on the first week of December,” he told reporters then.
The proposed 2025 national budget is 10.1 percent higher than the current national budget of P5.768 trillion, as the Department of Budget and Management had earlier projected
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