00:00It's been almost two weeks since 2025, but the signing of the national budget for the next year
00:07will be approved by President Bongbong Marcos first.
00:10According to the Palace, there are things that need to be reviewed in the Senate and there are provisions that need to be vetoed.
00:17Mav Gonzales has the floor.
00:22President Bongbong Marcos' signed the 2025 General Appropriations Act on Friday,
00:29but Malacanang announced that it will be left aside for now.
00:32According to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin,
00:35it is intended to be reviewed first in the middle of some sectors' discussions
00:40on the version of the budget that was approved by the Bicameral Conference Committee.
00:44According to Bersamin, the President himself is the one in charge of reviewing the budget,
00:48along with Bersamin, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amina Pangandaman,
00:54Public Works Secretary Manny Bonoan, and NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
00:58They assure that the 2025 national budget is in accordance with the priorities of the administration.
01:04According to Bersamin, they have not yet announced when the budget signing will be,
01:09but he confirmed that he will veto some items and provisions of the President
01:13so that it is in the interest of the public and to follow the fiscal program of the government and the law.
01:19Among the first to pass the budget,
01:22the biggest allocation will be given to the Department of Public Works and Highways
01:26instead of the Education Sector to fight for the law.
01:30The same will be the case with the increase in the budget of the Department of Education,
01:34the removal of the subsidy to PhilHealth,
01:36the return of the controversial aid to the Kapos Angkita Program or ACAP,
01:40and the collapse of the funds in the Congress.
01:42The leaders of the House and Senate have no objection to the President's decision
01:46because this is part of the process.
01:49The President has the power to veto or reject the proposed laws that were passed by the Congress
01:55but the country's budget is a special case.
01:58According to the law expert, Professor Dan Gatmaytan.
02:01The President may veto any law.
02:04So the effect of that is if he or she sends it back to Congress.
02:10But up to the removal of particular items, he has the power.
02:15He can't do anything in terms of adding, in terms of moving items in the budget.
02:23For example, if the President vetoes the fund for the ACAP Program,
02:27which is not in the original request of Malacanang,
02:30the P26 billion that is here cannot be spent even in other programs.
02:35The money will remain in the National Treasury.
02:38If the PhilHealth budget is vetoed, the subsidy will be zeroed,
02:42the original allocation of P74 billion will not be returned.
02:46Congress has to respond.
02:47I don't know, next time or next year,
02:50if they are more careful or if special appropriations are needed,
02:56eventually, if it looks like money is needed for certain things,
03:00there will be emergencies.
03:03But Senate Minority Leader Coco Pimentel said,
03:06the President's veto can still be overrided or the Congress' visa will be revoked.
03:11However, this has not happened in history.
03:14Congress can still insist that it needs to be a law.
03:21It can insist by a two-thirds vote of Congress.
03:26Voting separately, what do you call that?
03:29Override the veto.
03:31Nothing.
03:32Because a super majority, a special majority is needed.
03:37More than just a simple majority.
03:39Of course, the President's allies are in the House and Senate,
03:45so it should not happen.
03:47The President can also ask the Bicameral Conference Committee
03:51to reconvene to fix the issues in the budget,
03:54as it has not yet been signed.
03:56What he needs to do is prevail upon Congress
04:00to withdraw their bill to the President
04:06so that they can fix it.
04:09That's what I think is the most viable solution here
04:15without making the President veto the entire budget.
04:20The Senate President said,
04:22the fund can be augmented or increased after the budget is passed.
04:26It's in the special provisions.
04:28The Speaker, the Senate President, the President, the Chief Justice,
04:31all the heads of agencies, the constitutional agencies have that power.
04:34Because they have fiscal autonomy.
04:37For the GMA Integrated News,
04:39Mav Gonzalez speaking for 24 Hours.
