2 senators claim not aware of changes in proposed national budget

Sen. Imee Marcos, presiding over the public hearing of the Finance Subcommittee I in this photo taken on September 19, 2024. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Two senators on Monday claimed they weren’t made fully aware of some changes made to the proposed national funding for next year despite appeals for an open bicameral conference committee meeting for the 2025 budget bill.

One of them is the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, who claimed that they were left in the dark in terms of some line items in the proposed funding for next year.

In a statement, Marcos said it was why she did not sign the bicam report for the national budget.

“I would have preferred to look for papers and documents before speaking and giving a reaction – but unfortunately, we are all left in the dark,” said Marcos in Filipino.

“There are no details, explanations, or concrete numbers. I only have some data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development that has been vilified, especially PhilHealth,” she added in Filipino.

To recall, Marcos wrote a “love letter” to Senate President Chiz Escudero and Sen. Marcos, appealing that the bicameral conference committee procedures on proposed national funding be improved.

But in a separate ambush interview on Monday, Marcos lamented that her appeal was not heard.

“But that’s it, it wasn’t fulfilled. Then I said, the transparency — because we were left in the dark [and] they asked you to sign, and all that was there was the total. There was no mention of the projects. We didn’t know what was in it. [They] just gave us this total,” she told reporters in Filipino.

‘How I wish I was informed’

Meanwhile, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri shared Marcos’ frustration, disclosing to reporters that they weren’t fully aware of some changes.

Citing an example, Zubiri said he was only made aware of the glaring cuts made to the education sector when they voted for the ratification of the budget on the evening of December 11.

“I would have abstained or voted not in favor if I knew that the size of the cut in the educational needs of Filipinos would be,” said Zubiri in Filipino.

Asked if the process was not transparent enough, the former Senate president said he did not want to impute any malice, leaving it for others to answer.

“But that’s it. I’m just stating the fact. We met in – what hotel is that? Sheraton. We met in [Sheraton Hotel] to open and then they said, it’s going to be handled by the technical working group. The news to me is we’ll just meet at the end of the last meeting, which was in the Manila Hotel,” said Zubiri in Filipino.

He then added that they weren’t informed about the developments made to the budget.

“We were not informed there. We were not informed about the developments. How I wish I was informed. Kasi napahiya nga ako the week,” said Zubiri.

The senator said he was pertaining to an event of the Department of Science and Technology that he attended at the time when the technical working group was deliberating upon the proposed 2025 budget.

At the event, Zubiri said he promised that the DOST will be getting a budget hike for next year —- only to find out in the closing bicam that no increases will be granted for the agency for 2025.

READ: Imee urges President Marcos to scrutinize budget bill before signing

The former senate president said he’s gone through 21 budgets and the proposed 2025 national fund probably has the “least institutional amendments” made for different departments.

‘A budget that went through process’

Amid all these criticisms, Senate panel on finance chair Sen. Grace Poe reiterated that the national budget for next year “went through an exhaustive process,” before it was approved by majority members of both the Senate and the House.

“Working with finite resources to fund infinite needs is  not an easy choice, but what we have reflects the careful decisions made within the constraints we face,” said Poe in a separate statement.

“We reiterate that the education sector remains a priority, as we have increased the budget for students and teachers,” she emphasized.

In the end, Poe maintained that the Senate recognizes the President’s prerogative over the budget.