Sen. Imee Marcos okay with reenacting 2025 national budget

Sen. Imee Marcos. Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — In a worst-case scenario, a reenacted national fund would be better than utilizing “a very bad funding,” said Sen. Imee Marcos.

In a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday, Marcos said she would be more in favor of reenacting the 2024 national fund than pushing for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill which contains contentious provisions at present.

She, however, noted that the proposed funding for next year can still be fixed, without having the need to reenact the budget.

“Yes,” said Marcos when she was asked if she would be in favor of reenacting the present budget.

“Pero para sa akin, hindi kailangang umabot sa reenacted budget. Kayang habulin ito eh, may araw pa. Wag na tayo muna masyado magbiyahe at magbakasyon. Tulad ng sinabi ko, ang mahihirap wala namang bakasyon [at] wala namang biyahe, eh di magtiisan tayong lahat,” she added.

(But for me, it is unnecessary to have a reenacted budget. We can fix it, we still have time. We could lessen our travel and vacation. Like I said, poor people do not have a vacation and do not travel, so we should all sacrifice.)

Sen. Marcos also wants President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her younger brother, to just return the 2025 budget bill to the bicameral conference committee rather than pushing for a line item veto.

According to her, a line-item veto would not be enough to mend the issues hounding the proposed budget for next year.

“Hindi sapat ang line-item veto kasi malalim at matindi ang problema ng very bad budget na ito. Kapag line item veto lamang, masasagot ba ang mga issues tungkol sa Konstitusyon?” she asked.

(Line-item veto is not enough because this very bad budget has serious problems. If we’re only going to do a line-item veto, will the issues regarding the Constitution be resolved?)

“Talagang hindi kaya sa line item veto. Ang daming problema talaga eh. Malalim at masalimuot,” she added.

(We can’t resolve this using line-item veto because the problems are so serious.)