HOUSE RECONVENES MONDAY WITH RATIFICATION OF 2025 NATIONAL BUDGET AS TOP PRIORITY

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — The House of Representatives will reconvene on Monday (04 Nov 2024), with the ratification of the proposed ₱6.352-trillion 2025 national budget as its top agenda item for the remainder of the session.

Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe stated on Sunday, November 3, 2024, that the House expects the Senate to pass the budget proposal soon, enabling both chambers to form a bicameral conference committee to draft a unified version of the budget.

“We hope to ratify the bicameral report before our Christmas break on December 20. There is ample time to approve the final version of the budget,” Dalipe said.

He assured the public that the proposed budget would be ready for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. to sign into law before the end of 2024.

“As in the past, the spending program for the coming year will be in place before the current fiscal year ends to ensure continuity of spending and seamless implementation of activities and programs,” Dalipe added.

He emphasized that the national budget is the most critical piece of legislation Congress passes each year.

In addition to prioritizing the final approval of the 2025 budget, Dalipe noted that the House will continue to exercise its oversight authority through various committees, including the Quad Committee, the panel on Good Government and Public Accountability, and the Quinta Committee created before the recess in September.

“We remain committed to protecting our citizens from abuses and exposing wrongdoing in government,” Dalipe said.

He mentioned that the Quad Committee is set to hold additional hearings on issues such as the controversial war on drugs during the Duterte administration, extrajudicial killings related to it, illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), and the drug crisis.

The committee is scheduled to conduct its 10th hearing on November 7, anticipating the attendance of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Dalipe added that the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability will continue its inquiry into the unexplained confidential funds of Vice President Sara Duterte.

As for the Quad Committee—comprising five House committees—its mandate includes investigating smuggling and price manipulation of essential goods to protect the public from unreasonable price hikes.

Dalipe noted that, in addition to the proposed 2025 national budget, the House will work on passing the remaining measures in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority list: the Budget Modernization Bill, National Defense Bill, amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law, and amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease.

So far, the House has approved 26 of the 28 bills in the LEDAC list targeted for passage by the end of the current 19th Congress on June 30, 2025. The remaining two measures to be approved are the Amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law and the Amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long-Term Lease.

Six of the 24 bills have been signed into law by President Marcos: the Amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act (Republic Act 12009), the Anti-Financial Accounts Scamming Act (RA 12010), the Amendments to the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act (RA 12022), the VAT on Digital Transactions (RA 12023), the Self-Reliant Defense Posture Act (RA 12024), and the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program (RA 12028).

Four additional bills have been transmitted to the President for his signature: the CREATE MORE Bill, the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Bill, and the Enterprise-Based Education and Training Program Bill.

Since the start of the 19th Congress up to the last recess—spanning a total of 166 session days—Dalipe reported that the House has processed 4,504 measures, averaging 27 per day. Of these, 103 have been enacted into law.

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