MANILA — Some of the government’s priority sectors are being given lower allocations in the proposed 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to Congress.

The NEP for fiscal year 2025 showed that relative to the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the current national budget, the Health sector will get P297.6 billion, lower than this year’s P308.3 billion. The Health sector includes the Department of Health and PhilHealth.

The Agriculture sector also got a proposed budget of P211.3 billion, which was lower than P221.7 billion in the current GAA. This sector includes the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Reform, and all their attached agencies and corporations.

The social welfare sector’s proposed budget is P230.1 billion is also lower than this year’s GAA of P248.1 billion. 

The public works sector got the biggest cut of around P97 billion compared to its budget in the current GAA.

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman did not elaborate on the specific reasons for the decline of the proposed budget in some sectors but said this is due to amendments done in Congress.

“Ang pagbaba po nitong mga ito ay karamihan po dito sa mga increase ay amendments ng Senate at ng Congress, House of Representatives,” said Pangandaman.

She added that there was a P23 billion decrease in the Department of Health, a P15 billion decrease in the Department of Labor and Employment, a P14 billion cut in the State Colleges and Universities, and a P12 billion cut in Congress, among other departments and agencies.

On the other hand, Pangandaman said there was an increase in other sector’s budgets such as transportation, education, defense, interior and local government, among others.

“[The] total increase for DOTr [Department of Transportation] is P107 billion, 145 percent increase. Yung increase ng DOTr ay mapupunta mostly sa mga rail projects. [The] bulk of it, P63.9 billion, will go to North-South Commuter Railway System, and another P39 billion for Metro Manila subway project,” she said.

She said the Department of Education got a P31 billion increase, the Department of Interior and Local Government got a P15.8 billion hike, the Department of National Defense got a P15.7 billion hike, and the Department of Agriculture P14.7 billion increase, among many others.

The total proposed budget for 2025 is P6.352 trillion, which is 10.1 percent higher than last year’s budget. DBM said the proposed budget aims to support the government’s goal for economic and social transformation. 

The Education sector got the biggest slice at P977.6 billion, followed by the Public Works sector at P900 billion, the Health sector at P297.6 billion, the Interior and Local Government at P278.4 billion, and the Defense sector with P256.1 billion, among others.

Per sector, the proposed budget is divided into Social Services at 33.4 percent of the budget or about P2.121 trillion, Economic Services at 29.2 percent at P1.853 trillion, General Public Services at 17.1 percent or P1.083 trillion, Debt Burden at 13.8 percent or P 876.7 billion, and Defense at 6.6 percent of the budget or roughly P419.3 billion.

The proposed budget may still change depending on the discussion of Congress. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address, urged Congress to adopt the budget as close as the proposed version.