Imee protests budget approval process, seeks bill recall to Congress

Metro Manila, Philippines – In a no-holds-barred speech before her colleagues, Senator Imee Marcos condemned the alleged shenanigans surrounding Congress' approval of the 2025 national budget and urged her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to have lawmakers address the issues before acting on it.

Marcos aired her grievances during a privilege speech at the Senate session hall on Wednesday, Dec. 18. She highlighted irregularities from the moment the bicameral conference committee, made up of Senate and House members, finalized the P6.532-trillion budget, up to its ratification.

Marcos herself was part of the bicam as one of the vice chairpersons of the Senate committee on finance. She recalled writing to Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero to request transparency in the bicam proceedings but said she received no response.

She also noted that during the first bicam meeting on Nov. 28, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa called for sufficient time to scrutinize the bicam report before signing it—a request that Senate finance committee chairperson Grace Poe agreed to.

“Notwithstanding the request of Senator Bato and the agreement thereto of Senator Poe, no bicam report was given to me and many, if not, most, of my colleagues before the date designated for the signing of the bicam report,” Marcos said, referring to the Dec. 11 meeting where the report was signed.

“It was only at 6:14 pm much later that day that my office finally received through an e-mail, apparently a signed copy of the bicam report. At approximately 8:20 pm, members of the Senate purportedly ratified the bicameral report, viva voce, of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill,” Marcos added.

On Dec. 11, Escudero declared that the ayes won and the budget was ratified, with only minority senators, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Risa Hontiveros, voting no.

Marcos said the budget bill is now rife with constitutional violations, including the P1.1-trillion budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways exceeding that of the P925 billion for the education sector. The Constitution states that the government should always give the highest budgetary priority to education.

“I need not explain further what a travesty this makes of our Constitution. Kahiya-hiya tayo [This is embarrassing],” Marcos said.

She added that the P288.65-billion increase in the DPWH budget was lumped together as "various infrastructure projects," which goes against Senate rules that require changes to be properly explained.

Marcos also criticized the P26 billion allocated for the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, a House-initiated social assistance for minimum wage earners, while funding for other social assistance programs was reduced.

Marcos also lamented the absence of government subsidy for state health insurer PhilHealth, saying it violates laws that mandate such allocations.

Meanwhile, she highlighted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines received a P15-billion budget cut despite the urgent need to defend the West Philippine Sea.

“The drastic cuts in priority programs and their realignment to unnamed mysterious infrastructure VIP projects, as well as politicized social protection will be perceived in a brutal election year as simply vote-buying,” Marcos said.

President Marcos has postponed the signing of the 2025 General Appropriations Act, initially scheduled for Friday, Dec. 20, citing the need for a thorough review of the spending plan. Malacañang confirmed that the President will veto or reject certain provisions but refused to disclose which ones.

"Hindi kailangan pang umabot sa veto, kundi ibalik na lamang sa bicam, tulad ng nangyari sa Magna Carta ng Seafarers, ang Anti-Agricultural Smuggling, at iba’t iba pang mga panukala. Wag na munang pirmahan hangga’t di pa nasasaayos muli nating mga mambabatas,” Sen. Marcos said.

[Translation: There's no need to wait for a veto; just send it back to the bicam, like what happened with the Magna Carta for Seafarers, the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling law, and other proposals. Don’t sign it yet until we lawmakers have addressed the issues.]

No senator interpellated after her speech, which was referred to the Senate committee on rules.