House to prioritize jobs, education, and healthcare in 2025 budget

By Brian Jules Campued

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday said the House of Representatives will prioritize job creation, education, expanded healthcare, and social protection in allocating funds in the proposed 2025 national budget.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman turned over the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to Congress, which proposes a P6.352 trillion budget for next fiscal year.

According to Romualdez, the national budget reflects the government’s mission to improve the lives of every Filipino. 

“Sa 2025 national budget na ito, inaasahan namin na ibubuhos natin ang pondo para makalikha ng mas maraming trabaho, masiguro ang de-kalidad na edukasyon para sa mga estudyante, at mapalawak ang suporta sa Universal Health Care,” he said.

The Speaker also expressed the lower chamber’s call to add more funding for the government’s social protection programs, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) to help the poor and marginalized Filipinos.

Romualdez also assured that the House would scrutinize the budget proposal so that the taxpayers’ money would be used wisely and properly.

“Patuloy naming babantayan dito sa Kongreso ang paggastos ng mga pondong ito. Titiyakin namin na bawat pisong buwis ay maibabalik din sa mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng mga programa at proyekto,” he said.

“Bilang inyong Speaker, ipinapangako ko ang patuloy na pagsusumikap upang matiyak na ang bawat sentimo ng badyet na ito ay mapupunta sa mga proyektong tunay na may pakinabang sa bawat Pilipino,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pangandaman said their proposed budget was crafted with “utmost care, diligence, and meticulous attention” as stated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his third State of the Nation Address last week. 

The Budget chief, likewise, urged Congress to “sustain the momentum and stay on track” with the administration’s “Agenda for Prosperity” through the 2025 NEP which makes up 22% of the country’s gross domestic product and which is 10.1% higher than the budget for 2024.

“Through this budget, we can achieve our target of a single-digit poverty level and an upper-middle-income economy,” Pangandaman said.

“Together, let us fulfill the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people to achieve a Bagong Pilipinas for our citizens and the future generations,” she added.

According to Pangandaman, the sectors that were given major allocations for fiscal year 2025 are the following:

1. 1. Education – P977.6 billion
   2. Public Works – P900 billion
   3. Health – P297.6 billion
   4. Interior and Local Government – P278.4 billion
   5. Defense – P256.1 billion
   6. Social Welfare – P230.1 billion
   7. Agriculture – P211.3 billion
   8. Transportation – P180.9 billion
   9. Judiciary – P63.6 billion
   10. Justice – P40.6 billion

– iro