President Bongbong Marcos signed the P6.326 trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA), slightly lower than the P6.352 trillion approved by the bicameral conference of Congress.
“This budget reflects our collective commitment to transforming economic gains into meaningful outcomes for every Filipino. It is designed not only to address our present needs but also to sustain growth and uplift the lives of generations yet to come,” said Marcos during the ceremonial signing event in Malacañang on Monday, Dec. 30.
Marcos said he had vetoed P194 billion worth of items from the proposed budget.
“These include allocations for certain programs and projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and those under the Unprogrammed Appropriations, which increased by 300 percent,” said Marcos.
The president also noted that the government would set conditional implementation for the controversial Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
“To ensure that the people’s funds are utilized in accordance with their authorized and stated purpose,” said Marcos.
“This approach is anchored in a simple yet profound truth: the appropriation of public funds must not break the public trust,” he added.
The president also thanked the public for being vigilant in the proposed budget.
“Sa Sambayanang Pilipino, nakikinig po kami sa inyo. Salamat po sa inyong pagkilatis sa ating National Budget at sa pagpuna sa kaibahan ng isinumite ng Kongreso sa President’s proposed budget. Kaya naman po kahit Pasko, kami po ay nagtrabaho upang pag-aralan ito,” he added.
[Translation: The Filipino people, we are listening to you. Thank you for scrutinizing our National Budget and for pointing out the differences between what Congress submitted and the President’s proposed budget. That’s why, even during Christmas, we worked hard to study it]
