00:00Although already committed to signing the 2025 national budget before Christmas,
00:06the president still wants allocation to certain agencies revised.
00:10One particular instance is that of the allotment for education department's computerization program,
00:15which was slashed down by progress.
00:17PDP's Melanes Moras has more.
00:21President Ferdinand R. Marquez, Jr. has vowed to approve the 2025 national budget before Christmas
00:28to ensure adequate funding for critical government programs and projects.
00:35The bicameral conference committee recently approved the proposed 6.352 trillion pesos national budget for 2025.
00:43However, President Marquez, Jr. emphasized the need for a thorough review of allocations for key government agencies.
00:50Among the priorities is the restoration of the budget cut from the Department of Education's computerization program.
00:57The committee reduced DepEd's allocation from P748.65 billion pesos to P737 billion pesos,
01:06slashing nearly P12 billion pesos meant for the purchase of free gadgets, computer equipment,
01:11and digital training tools for teachers and students.
01:15The DepEd strongly expressed opposition to the cut,
01:18stressing its impact on efforts to modernize education and enhance digital learning.
01:23We're still looking into it.
01:25I think it is contrary to all our policy direction.
01:32When we talk about the STEM development of our educational sector,
01:40and then to the continuing development,
01:45because the P10 billion comes from the computerization, computerization item.
01:52So we're working on it to make sure that we will restore it.
01:58President Marquez, Jr. also defended the decision to cut over P70 billion from the subsidies requested by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
02:07He explained that PhilHealth holds P500 billion in reserve funds,
02:11which should be used to deliver effective medical services to Filipinos.
02:15The outcomes were just the totals.
02:22So the details are not clear yet.
02:26So we are returning to those.
02:29And all of those elements that are worrisome are something that we're trying to,
02:36we're making sure that there are no disadvantages.
02:42PhilHealth has a P500 billion reserve.
02:46And the cost to provide their services in one year is less than P100 billion.
02:56So their budget actually for expenditures in the P260 billion is P100 plus billion.
03:04It hasn't been used for many years.
03:07In other words, the PhilHealth has sufficient budget to do all of the things that they want to do.
03:13The president also assured the proposed P1.11 trillion budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways,
03:20which increased from P900 billion, will undergo close review and scrutiny.
03:25This funding will support infrastructure projects vital to national development.
03:30Infrastructure is really important.
03:33And don't forget, flood control became such a big, big part of the work of the Department of Public Works.
03:43They have to build things that we never had to build before.
03:47We are just monitoring, especially the ODA project.
03:51We are really monitoring it to make sure that our debt ratios are still relatively manageable.
03:59President Marquez Jr. reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the national budget is properly allocated
04:04to guarantee the successful implementation, continuity, and completion of government projects and programs beneficial to the Filipino people.
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