royal panalo Education not prioritized in 2025 budget – Lacson, Makabayan bloc

LESSON FOR THE DAY A teacher at General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City prepares her students for theday’s lessons in this photo taken in February 2024. INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The recently signed 2025 national budget did not prioritize the education sector despite the removal of P194-billion line items, former senator Panfilo Lacson and lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc said on Monday.

In a statement posted on his website, Lacson said that despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoing P26.06 billion from P288-billion congressional insertions, education was not given priority in crafting the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

Article continues after this advertisement

Lacson stressed that this goes against the 1987 Constitution, specifically Section 5, paragraph 5 of Article XIV, which requires the government to “assign the highest budgetary priority to education.”

FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO House panel respects Marcos’ line veto of 2025 budget items – Co NEWSINFO Marcos signs P6.3 trillion 2025 national budget, vetoes P194 billion NEWSINFO Ombudsman junks plea over transceiver deal

“Having vetoed only P26.065B from the P288B ‘congressional insertions,’ mostly in the bicameral conference, the budget for education is still not ‘assigned the highest budgetary priority’ contrary to Article XIV Sec 5(5) of the 1987 Constitution,” he noted.

“That being said, Malacañang may already be preparing for any constitutional challenge that may arise from this – both before the Supreme Court and the court of public opinion,” he added.

Article continues after this advertisement

Marcos on Monday signed the 2025 budget, which went down from the P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill to just P6.326 due to the veto of P194-billion line items deemed inconsistent with the administration’s priority programs.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Marcos signs P6.3 trillion 2025 national budget, vetoes P194 billion

Article continues after this advertisement

These include around P26 billion worth of programs and projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and P168-billion unprogrammed funds.

“While the final version of the budget reflects many of our shared priorities, some provisions required careful scrutiny. The Filipino people have spoken: every centavo must go to programs that truly uplift lives, strengthen communities, secure the future development of the Philippines,” Marcos said.

Article continues after this advertisement

However, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro and lawmaker Antonio Tinio believe that Marcos’ veto was just a “deceptive maneuver to create an illusion of constitutional compliance.”

“This veto message is pure deception. The veto of P194 billion for DPWH projects is just an attempt to distract us, to make it seem that the budget is constitutional because a bigger chunk is given to the education sector.  But the truth is, they did not return the funds removed from the education sector,” Castro said in Filipino.

“This is just a big disguise. The administration is trying to fool the public by vetoing certain DPWH projects while keeping the deep cuts to essential education programs. This veto cannot change the anti-education and anti-poor character of the 2025 budget,” he added.

Last December 12, Castro called out the bicam for approving a P12-billion cut in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed 2025 budget, which would hit the agency’s computerization program.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara also complained about the budget cut, but he eventually said Marcos vowed to address the issue.

READ: Angara: Marcos to remedy huge DepEd budget cut

Lawmakers from the House of Representatives’ majority bloc, however, defended the DepEd budget cuts made by the bicam.

According to Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun, DepEd should show that it can efficiently use its funds before Congress makes a higher allocation for its computerization program.

Khonghun also disputed allegations that the DPWH had a higher budget, noting that the bicam allocated a total of P1.055 trillion to the education sector, which includes DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education,  State Universities and Colleges, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and other government-owned educational institutions.

He also noted that while DPWH has P1.235 trillion, P82.08 billion of its funds are convergence projects, which means that while these are infrastructure programs, it is intended for the projects of other departments like DepEd (classrooms and other facilities) and the Department of Health.

This would leave DPWH with P1.033 trillion — slightly lower than the entire education sector.

READ: Education budget for 2025 still higher than DPWH fund – lawmaker

The ECB began raising rates sharply in mid-2022 to throttle surging consumer prices but has begun to ease the pressure as inflation rates have fallen.

The big miss in the August non-farm payrolls reading was compounded by heavily revised down figures for the previous two months and ramped up bets on a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week.

online casino with free signup bonus real money no deposit

Still, Castro and Tinio believe that the 2025 GAA falls below the United Nations (UN) standard in terms of allocating 6 percent of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to the education sector.

“The education budget should have been set at 6% of GDP from the start to meet UN standards.  Instead, Congress reduced it, and it was not placed back with whatever veto made by Marcos,” Castro said.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

SIGN ME UP

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

“This budget and these vetoes reveal the administration’s true priorities – maintaining huge allocations for infrastructure and military spending while shortchanging education.  Vetoing the DPWH projects is just for show if they cannot put back what was removed from the education sectorroyal panalo,” Tinio added.

READ NEXT Marcos’ office requests additional P5.2B for Asean Summi... ‘Broken from start’, UniTeam sees complete collapse EDITORS' PICK Marcos signs P6.3 trillion 2025 national budget, vetoes P194 billion Cloudy, rainy New Year’s Eve due to weather systems – Pagasa Kanlaon Volcano update: 6 ash emissions, 23 volcanic quakes in 24 hours Hontiveros: BI execs tried to secure bail for Tony Yang ‘She was almost home’: Father mourns daughter killed in Jeju Air crash Rainy Rizal Day expected due to 3 weather systems MOST READ Don’t politicize Nazarene’s Trasclacion, Comelec tells poll bets For German 'sick leave detective', business is booming UAE light plane crash leaves pilot, co-pilot dead – aviation authority Marcos signs P6.3 trillion 2025 national budget, vetoes P194 billion Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments

• in
• not
• royal panalo
• education
• prioritized