Only the three representatives of the Makabayan bloc downvoted the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or budget proposal of the Marcos regime for 2025. With 285 votes in favor, three objections and no abstentions, the Marcos regime’s supermajority passed the said bill in the House of Representatives on September 25.

Congress approved a total of ₱6.352 trillion budget for next year. There was no change in the questionable ₱10.506 billion for the Marcos office and its ₱4.56 billion confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) portion. The ₱158.665 billion “unprogrammed funds” included in the proposed budget was also untouched.

Meanwhile, Congress cut the budget of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office from its proposed ₱2 billion to only ₱733 million. Makabayan would have wanted to reduce it further because of Duterte’s failure and refusal to answer the congressional audit of her spending of public money in recent years.

Rep. Arlene Brosas, Gabriela Women’s Party representative and Koalisyong Makabayan senatorial candidate, explained her opposition stressing that the national budget must respond to the basic needs of the people. “The proposed budget does not respond if it does not consider the interests of the people. It will not address the worsening crisis if the basic needs of every Filipino are lacking,” the lawmaker said.

Rep. Brosas even emphasized Marcos and Sara Duterte’s avoidance of congressional scrutiny of their respective budget proposals is unacceptable. She said the “traditions” of any part of the government should not be used to escape scrutiny of how she spent the people’s money.

The budget’s railroading also extremely disappointed Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel. “We always hear the insufficiency of funds for education and SUCs, for physical and mental health, and for dealing with disasters and other impacts of climate change,” he said.

Ironically, the legislator said “there is money for presidential pork, there is money for the provocative measures between US and China, there is money for repression and redtagging!”

The proposed budget was hastily approved after Marcos certified the bill as “urgent”, allowing the proposal to be approved in the second and third hearings on the same day instead of going through the usual prescribed days. Its passing was forced by Congress before its recess.

Bayan Muna Party consequently announced filing a petition with the Supreme Court to challenge the proposed budget’s passage and certification as “urgent.” The group said there was no “emergency” or dire situation for the proposal to warrant such urgency.

“Why are you in such haste? Are you trying to sneak in something? Why won’t you show the representatives the budget they approved?” Atty. Neri Colmenares, Bayan Muna chairperson and first nominee, asked. The group also filed a similar petition on September 6 to question the passage and enactment of the proposed budget for 2024, the presence of “unprogrammed funds” and the insertion of an additional budget under the bicameral committee.