Romualdez thanks Marcos for signing GAA on time

Speaker Martin Romualdez —HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) which allowed the country to avoid a reenacted budget for the next year.

In a statement on Monday, hours after Marcos signed into law the budget bill, Romualdez said that the GAA reflects the shared commitment of uplifting Filipino lives.

Had the Chief Executive failed to enact a new appropriations bill before the calendar year ends, the country would resort to a reenacted budget or a situation where the government would have to rely on a previous year’s allocations to continue operations — which would stall several projects.

“Today marks a significant milestone as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs the P6.326-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2025—a budget that reflects our shared commitment to uplifting the lives of every Filipino and securing a brighter future for all,” Romualdez said.

“The President’s timely signing of this spending plan ensures uninterrupted government operations while addressing the nation’s most pressing priorities. This decisive action prevents a reenacted budget and strengthens our resolve to achieve the country’s national development goals,” he added.

According to Romualdez, the House “takes pride in its significant contribution to the development of this budget” and “ensuring it is fiscally sound and aligned with the needs and aspirations of our citizens.”

“This reflects our commitment to transparent, accountable governance focused on delivering meaningful results.  This budget represents the efficient and responsible use of resources, balancing fiscal discipline with the government’s commitment to improving the quality of life for all Filipinos. It is a critical step toward sustained growth and national development,” Romualdez said.

“We thank President Marcos for his leadership and our colleagues in Congress for their hard work. This budget reflects our united effort to ensure that government programs truly serve the people,” he added.

The last time that the Philippines had a reenacted budget was in 2019, when the House approval of the proposed appropriations bill was delayed due to several issues.

Former senator Ping Lacson claimed that the General Appropriations Bill of that time had pork insertions — or possible pet projects of lawmakers.  The said insertions were made by a small committee that was tasked to reconcile requests after the bill was approved on second reading.

However, former Majority leader Rolando Andaya Jr. denied Lacson’s accusations, saying that the delay in the approval of the budget was due to unusual belated requests from then-President Rodrigo Duterte and other Cabinet members.

READ: A House leadership-Duterte ‘collusion’ for 2019 ‘reenacted’ budget? 

As late as March 2019, the government was operating on a reenacted budget, as Duterte vowed to scrutinize the P3.8-trillion proposed allocation for 2019 — noting that he would not sign an illegal document.

READ: Reenacted budget cost Filipinos P98B 

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the reenacted budget in 2019 left Filipinos missing out on almost P98 billion worth of public goods and services, as the three-month reenactment of the previous year’s budget prevented the government from spending for priority programs and projects.