After much controversy, 2025 budget now for signing

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. —Screengrab from the Presidential Communications Office Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Sunday issued an advisory affirming its earlier announcement that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign on Monday morning the P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025, amid widespread criticism over several controversial items in the spending plan.

The Palace has yet to disclose which items, if any, are to be vetoed from House Bill No. 10800, or the proposed General Appropriations Bill.

READ: Marcos to sign 2025 national budget bill on December 3

READ: Marcos ‘thoroughly reviewing’ 2025 budget to conform to charter – Palace

Akap ‘not pork barrel’

The proposed budget has been the subject of sharp criticism by lawmakers and civil society groups over what they described as “questionable” allocations, such as the P26 billion for the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (Akap) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian earlier defended the program, maintaining that it is “not pork barrel since any good Samaritan can refer potential beneficiaries and the barangay has nothing to do with Akap.”

Gatchalian said it is the DSWD’s social workers who vet the beneficiaries to make sure that they are eligible for the aid program. —with a report from Jeannette I. Andrade