President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. MALACAÑANG PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he is working on restoring the P10-billion cut from the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2025 budget as it was “contrary” to the government’s “policy direction.”
Marcos made the pronouncement after the bicameral conference committee reduced DepEd’s budget for 2025 from its original proposal of P748.6 billion to P737 billion.
READ: Angara: Marcos to remedy huge DepEd budget cut
“I think it is contrary to all our policy directions when we talk about the STEM development of our educational sector and then the continuing development,” said Marcos in a chance interview with Palace reporters in Malacañang.
“Because ‘yung nawalan na P10 billion (the P10-billion budget cut) comes from the computerization item, so we’re working on it to make sure that we will restore it,” he added.
However, Marcos said he intends to restore the cut budget without having to veto any line item in the bicam-approved 2025 budget.
“So we’re still talking about it and trying to find a way,” he added. “And I think we’ll still be able to do it, to be able to do something.”
Asked what this means or in which avenue legislators may be able to restore the cut budget, Marcos responded: “Let’s leave it to them. I don’t want to have that discussion here. We’ll have that discussion with the bicam essentially, and the leaders of both houses.”