President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. MALACAÑANG PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to review the proposed 2025 national budget after public clamor only shows that Filipinos can now criticize the government without fear of repercussions, House lawmakers said on Wednesday.
In a press briefing, Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said Marcos deserves praise for listening to the people’s demands regarding the P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2025.
“Kudos to our President and we look forward to a better — you know all the things in the world, we can improve them, we just have to listen to one another,” Roman said.
“And this is the good thing under this administration. People are free to express what they want to say without fear, and we can work on things. And we can work for the improvement of our national budget,” she added.
Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre agreed with Roman, saying that Marcos’ review of the bicameral conference committee’s version of the proposed budget is a sign of a “vibrant democracy.”
“We can freely express our criticisms of the things that our public and elected officials are doing,” he added.
“And here in Congress, we are listening. The President of the Philippines is listening and with the cooperation between the two branches of our government we all hope and I’m sure Congress and the President are one in providing a budget that will not only address the needs of Filipinos but also satisfy the need to ensure efficiency in public service and public spending,” he also said.
Earlier, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced that the scheduled signing of the P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2025, supposed to be on December 20, would be deferred.
Bersamin said the deferral would be done so that the President can do a rigorous review of the GAB, which is being done in consultation with “the heads of major departments.”
READ: Signing of 2025 GAA deferred for President’s review – Bersamin
This is not the first time that Roman talked about the Philippines enjoying a more vibrant democracy under Marcos.
Last December 2, Roman apologized to the public for her silence when former President Rodrigo Duterte was in office, saying that the Duterte administration seemed to send a message that there should be no opposition.
She added that this is in stark contrast to the situation now under Marcos, where free speech is respected, making it easier for lawmakers to speak their minds without risking their constituents’ welfare.
“So this is a different administration where there is freedom of speech,” she said. “And I’d like to take advantage, to apologize to the millions of women who might have felt offended by misogynistic remarks that have been made in the past by our elected officials.”
READ: Roman says sorry for silence vs past admin: I had to protect my district
Regarding the budget, Senate President Francis Escudero and Senator Grace Poe — chairperson of the Senate committee on finance — said earlier that Malacañang’s decision to defer the GAB’s enactment into law is a sign of a healthy democracy.
“The President has the authority to assess the budget and approve or veto the proposed GAA. I believe his economic managers are giving the President the best advice possible given the situation. The GAA is the most important piece of legislation that can determine our economic stability and our gross domestic product growth in 2025,” Poe told reporters in a text message.
READ: Deferred 2025 GAA signing a healthy sign of democracy – Poe
While there is no official declaration regarding what items might be vetoed in the GAB, Marcos previously said that he would restore the Department of Education’s (DepEd) funds that were removed by the bicam.
Initially, lawmakers were lukewarm to the idea of funds being returned to DepEd’s computerization program as they believed the department must first prove that it could disburse its budget efficiently before Congress allocates more.
READ: Marcos vows to restore funds slashed from DepEd
Undelivered laptops were among the issues discussed at the House deliberations on DepEd’s proposed budget last September 2 — just weeks after Education Secretary Angara took the helm over Vice President Sara Duterte. She resigned as DepEd chief.
During the discussions, DepEd Director Ferdinand Pitagan confirmed that only P2.18 billion out of the P11.36-billion fund for computers, laptops, and smart television sets was spent.
READ: Solons blast low budget use, non-delivery of laptops of DepEd under Sara