MANILA – The House of Representatives on Tuesday (24 Sept 2024) approved the proposed PHP10.5-billion budget of the Office of the President (OP) for 2025, with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in attendance to represent the office during the plenary deliberations.

The period of sponsorship and interpellation for the OP’s budget lasted for 33 minutes, with only two interpellators – ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza.

In his speech, House Appropriations Committee vice chair and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco cited the importance of executive-legislative collaboration to ensure that the country’s interests are advanced and essential government services are delivered to the people.

“The presence here today of the Honorable Executive Secretary and senior officials of the Office of the President manifests the continued cooperation between our branches in upholding our mutual objective of promoting the welfare of our people and the country’s interests,” Tiangco said.

Tiangco underscored the need for continued legislative support to help President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. achieve these objectives.

“As the President values the cooperation between our branches in the fulfillment of our common goal of development, it is but appropriate for us to likewise show our support to a presidency that constantly advances the interests of our nation and strives to deliver good government services for the good of our people,” he said.

Tiangco noted that the proposed 2025 budget for the OP is 1.88 percent lower than the previous year’s allocation, emphasizing that the reduction reflects the administration’s commitment to delivering services “prudently and economically.”

“Despite the reduction of the proposed budget of the Office of the President for fiscal year 2025, the President, through the Executive Secretary, assures us that the same will not affect the delivery of services of the President to the people,” he said.

As the central policy hub of the government, Tiangco highlighted the Office of the President’s crucial role in supporting the Chief Executive in his constitutional duties as head of state, head of government, chief architect of foreign policy, and Commander-in-Chief.

“Thus, it is only fitting that we complement the same by providing the necessary budget for the President to fulfill his sacred mandate for the people, whom we are all accountable to,” he said.

Tiangco also praised the Office of the President’s responsible fiscal management, noting its “unmodified opinion” from the Commission on Audit as proof of its accountable use of public funds.

The proposed budget of the Office of the President constitutes “a mere 1/9th of 1 percent of the total national budget,” he said.

Despite this modest share, Tiangco stated that the administration’s work had produced results that have been “positively felt by the people.”

“More money does not always mean more services or better performance. With the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance espoused by the President, this chamber is assured that the government is always mindful of the need to fulfill his constitutional mandate with less financial requirement but with the same quality results,” he said.

ia/mnm