MEMBERS of the National Unity Party (NUP) in the House of Representatives (HoR) are seeking clarification over the “mysteries” and “miracles” in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In a press conference, House Deputy Speaker Antipolo City First District Representative Ronaldo “Ronnie” Puno, NUP chairman, said before the start of the deliberation for the national budget for Fiscal Year 2026 that they will demand for explanation about the changes made in the 2025 proposed budget as opposed to the GAA.
He made the statement as he agreed to the alleged irregularities in the scrapping of P74 billion for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in the 2025 GAA, which was earlier revealed by Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.
“Ito ang hindi naaalala ng tao, ang House (HoR) gumawa ng budget, nag-approve ng budget, ngayon sa budget na yon kung titignan ninyo, hindi nawala ang Philhealth budget intact sa version ng House, hindi nabawasan ang DepEd budget, in fact mataas, ang nabawasan dito sa House ‘yung public works budget, yan ang pinadala sa Senado. Pero ang finally lumabas na GAA natanggal ang PhilHealth trust fund, nabawasan and DepEd (Department of Education) at nadagdagan public works budget,” said Puno.
(This is what people forget: the House (HoR) created and approved the budget. Now, if you look at that budget, the PhilHealth budget remained intact in the House version, the DepEd budget was not reduced — in fact, it was increased. What was reduced in the House was the public works budget, and that was what was sent to the Senate. But in the final version of the GAA, the PhilHealth trust fund was removed, the DepEd (Department of Education) budget was reduced, and the public works budget was increased.)
“Ngayon gusto naming malaman sino nagpalit noon papaano nangyari yon, sino talaga nagtanggal, paano natanggal kasi alam ko hindi dito sa House yon kasi ang pinadala namin sakanila buo pa yon. Gusto nating malaman sino ba ang nakinabang sa pagpalit lahat nito sa pagdagdag ng DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) budget. Ang pagdagdag sa DPWH budget ay galing sa pagbawas sa Deped at pagtanggal ng trust fund ng Philhealth,” he added.
(Now we want to know who made the changes and how it happened — who really removed it and how it was removed — because I know it didn’t happen here in the House, since what we sent to them was still intact. We want to find out who benefited from all these changes that increased the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) budget. The increase in the DPWH budget came from cuts to the DepEd budget and the removal of PhilHealth’s trust fund.)
Puno said that since they cannot ask the Senate to face the chamber’s budget deliberation due to inter-parliamentary courtesy, they are expecting that the Department of Budget Management and the DPWH can shed light on the matter.
He said they do not have any intention to delay the 2026 budget.
“Pero mahirap kasing umpisahan ang bagong budget ng hindi pa tapos ang lumang budget kasi ang GAA pag napasa batas na yan, so lahat ng nandyan dapat i-release talaga. Ang nangyari ngayon, parang malaki pa ang halaga na hindi narelease pa, so ang aming tanong final na ba yan na hindi na ire-release? Bakit hindi ire-release meron bang kasalanan? Pag meron dapat kasuhan yan at tignan,” said Puno.
(But it’s difficult to start working on the new budget when the old budget hasn’t been completed yet, because once the GAA is enacted into law, everything in it should really be released. What’s happening now is that a large amount has still not been released, so our question is: is it final that it will no longer be released? Why won’t it be released? Was there wrongdoing involved? If there was, then those responsible should be held accountable and investigated.)
On Monday, August 11, Lacson questioned the realignment of the P74 billion in PhilHealth funds to other items in the 2025 GAA, resulting for the agency to have zero subsidy under the 2025 budget, violating the principle that a general law cannot amend a special law.
Senator JV Ejercito, upon questioning by Lacson, said the PhilHealth fund was slashed to P43 billion in the Senate version, and totally scrapped in the bicameral conference committee.
Lacson noted that the both chambers of Congress should not have allowed this because the GAA, being a general law, cannot amend a special law, which is the Sin Tax law, under which the P74 billion was earmarked.
"Paano nakalusot ito sa House, may abogado doon? Sa Senate may mga abogado, paano nakalusot na effectively in-amend ng GAA ang special law?" he said.
(How did this get through the House — aren’t there lawyers there? In the Senate, there are also lawyers. How did it get through that the GAA effectively amended the special law?)
The 2025 national budget faced criticisms due to alleged “pork-barrel-like insertions,” particularly for the public works projects, as well as discrepancies, particularly the blanks in sections related to the budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and unprogrammed appropriations, including amounts reaching billions of pesos.
Earlier, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero denied claims that there are billions of pesos worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget.
He tagged as demolition jobs the allegations linking him to the alleged irregularities.
During his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that for the 2026 national budget, he will make sure that the GAA is fully aligned with the National Expenditures Program.
This as he ordered for the conduct of an in-depth investigation on the irregularities in the flood control projects across the country in the light of the recent massive floods that submerged communities during the onslaught of habagat (southwest monsoon) and the series of typhoons. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)