MANILA, Philippines – NADAGDAGAN ang budget para fiscal year 2025 ng Office of the President (OP) matapos itong humirit ng supplemental funds para sa gagawing pagho-host ng Pilipinas sa ASEAN Summit and Related Summits sa 2026.
Inihayag ito ni Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin sa Palace press briefing, araw ng Lunes, Disyembre 30 matapos lagdaan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. upang maging ganap na batas ang P6.326 trillion budget para sa taong 2025.
”Yes, as far as the budget of OP is concerned, ‘yung NEP was followed pero dinagdagan ng P5.2 billion kasi may nangyari noong (2024), ‘yung ASEAN 2026 would have been done in Myanmar pero biglang umayaw ang Myanmar kasi walang may gustong pumunta roon na heads of states. You know the problem in Myanmar,” ayon kay Bersamin.
”So komo alphabetical ‘yung sequence ng paghohold ng ASEAN, letter P Philippines, next… inako ni Presidente ‘yan kasi hindi maaaring payagan natin na walang ASEAN. That’s a very important part of our international relations,” dagdag na wika nito.
Aniya pa, magsisimula na sa susunod na taon ang gagawing paghahanda ng pamahalaan para sa ASEAN sa 2026.
”After the submission of the NEP, humingi kami sa Congress ng supplemental fund in addition to what we proposed for the OP sa NEP to the tune of P5.2 billion for 2025,” ang sinabi pa rin ni Bersamin.
Samantala, ang naging panukala ng OP na P10,506,201,000-budget para sa susunod na taon, maituturing na 1.88% na mas mababa kaysa sa budget sa fiscal year 2024.
Tinuran pa ni Bersamin na ang OP budget ay maaaring ”sufficiently accommodate the logistical requirements of honoring invitations from foreign leaders to visit their countries as well as to carry out diplomatic initiatives which would yield job creating investments that will hasten support to our post-pandemic economic recovery.’ Kris Jose
