'Most corrupt national budget'

EYES WIDE OPEN

- IRIS GONZALES

The good news is that, despite the festive holiday season—one of the longest celebrations in the world—there is public outrage over the audacious insertions and cuts in the 2025 budget. Hopefully, this public furor will help correct the bad news: Congress’ last-minute tinkering with the government’s funding for next year.

Days ago, President Marcos said he would review items in the budget that were different from what was originally proposed, such as the cut in the Education Department’s budget. His sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, was right in calling it a "bad budget," adding that with the current version, its passage must not be rushed.

Retired Associate Justice Antonio Carpio forwarded to me 1SAMBAYAN’s statement strongly condemning what the group calls as "the two most glaring anomalies" in the proposed 2025 budget as approved by the bicameral conference of Congress. The statement emphasized that the 2025 budget violates the Constitution, which mandates: "The State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education."

Indeed, the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Act gives the Department of Public Works and Highways a budget of P1.1 trillion while giving only P737 billion to the Department of Education. The second glaring violation, 1SAMBAYAN said, is the shocking absence of any budgetary allocation for PhilHealth, in violation of the Constitution, which mandates: "There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. The State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers."