The TAMA NA Alliance Network or Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance rejected the 2025 budget proposal or General Appropriations Bill (GAB) passed by the Senate on November 26. In a November 27 press conference, the group’s representatives explained the anti-people provisions of the bill, provisions for corruption, and why the Filipino people must oppose it.

The ₱6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 was hastily passed in the Senate with 18 votes in favor, no opposition, and one abstention. The sole abstention came from the minority group’s Senator Koko Pimentel, who opposed Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “urgent certification” of the bill and it’s railroading in Congress and the Senate.

It was passed in Congress on September 25, opposed by only three lawmakers, Kabataan Party Rep. Raoul Manuel, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, and ACT Teachers Party’s France Castro. It is now in the final stage of deliberation by the bicameral committee, and will be then sent to the president for signing.

The TAMA NA Alliance Network was formed amid opposition to Marcos’ Maharlika Fund. They won the fight in preventing its appropriation of the workers’ and government employees’ GSIS and SSS funds.

“The national budget is important because it is the fastest and most efficient way for the government to supposedly manage the economy and interest of the majority,” Ibon executive director Sonny Africa said. “Scrutinizing the allocations is just right.”

According to Ibon, the general appropriations bill is reflective of the “unequal and regressive government strategy in its fiscal policy.”

“The numbers easily show that the budget is for the ‘trapos’ (traditional politicians), cronies, and capitalists, not for the citizens,” Africa said. The amount it allocated for the people’s needs is insufficient and mere window dressing. A huge chunk or ₱4 trillion of this budget comes from taxes or the pockets of poor and ordinary Filipinos. They have the right to demand for public services.

“Conversely, it reduces taxes for large companies, and these are the ones benefiting from services in the form of infrastructure,” he said. The amount for infrastructure (₱1.5 trillion) is the second-highest allocation in the budget, following the debt servicing at ₱2.1 trillion.

While the regime increased the funds for projects that only benefit the large bourgeoisie, the funds for education, health, housing, irrigation, and other services related to local agriculture remained small and were even lowered. This shows that there is no hope of the economy creating decent jobs, which what the Filipino people desperately need, Africa said.

Teddy Casiño, Bayan chairperson and Makabayan senatorial candidate, said that people should be vigilant of the bicameral committee’s abuse and prevent it from inserting provisions beyond its authority. He said items without similar provisions in the Senate and Congress version, such as the ₱1.2 billion cut from the budget of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office, should no longer be discussed in the bicam and should not further be increased. He also agreed with the Senate’s removal of ₱39 billion for the Assistance for the Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) initiated by House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“We know representatives will only use this for the election,” said Casiño. Instead of giving it to congressional representatives, the ₱39 billion should be given to sectors which need it the most.

He called for opening the bicameral committee deliberations to the public to prevent the committee from inserting provisions that are not in the original version of the Congress and Senate bills like in the past. One of provisions was returning Philhealth funds to the national treasury as “unprogrammed funds,” which then came under control of the president.

“The process must be transparent to prevent any attempt to again bloat unprogrammed funds, and insert pork barrel for congressmen and senators,” he said. The bicam committee deliberation is scheduled to start in the first week of December.

“Priorities are truly wrong and distorted,” Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairman emeritus and former Department of Agrarian Reform secretary Rafael Mariano (Ka Paeng) said. “The budget allocated for agriculture is inadequate…even the ₱1 billion supposedly for irrigation.”

Ka Paeng explained that most irrigation projects are “multisectoral” and “multipurpose” and their main purpose is power generation, not farm irrigation. He called for allocating production subsidies of ₱25,000 for farmers, ₱15,000 for fisherfolk, and ₱10,000 for farm workers.

“This totals to ₱252 to ₱253 billion,” he said. This will boost agricultural yield and national production, including rice, which is a major step for the country to achieve food self-sufficiency. In addition, he called for a “rice price subsidy” of ₱500 billion to help consumers cope with the high market prices of rice. The total ₱850 billion subsidy would match the allocated budget for servicing the national debt interest.

“This is not a dole-out,” Ka Paeng said. This is compensation and indemnification for the widespread damage farmers endure due to unfair trade agreements that has persistently put agricultural production in the red and subsequent damages brought about by climate change.

UP Kasama’s Paul Lachica shared the students’ opposition to ₱10 billion cuts in the public universities’ budget despite the urgent need to upgrade their facilities.

“Failure to provide sufficient funds for our universities constitutes a criminal neglect by the government to the youth…and to the education sector,” he said. “It is only correct to demand accountability from corrupt officials in the government who are also the responsible for the country’s lack of adequate funds.”

Meanwhile, sectors within the Polytechnic University of the Philippines opposed the budget cuts which were proposed by the Department of Budget and Management. PUP SKM’s Tiffany Brillante, said that PUP is the country’s most densely populated public university. Reducing the university’s budget cuts will result in the university’s restricting student admission and would worsen the lack student space and facilities.

Prof. Judie Taguiwalo read the statement of TAMA NA Alliance Network regarding the threats and possible impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. “Duterte’s actions mirror a long record of her father’s administration, which is currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court.”

The alliance called on congressmen to consider the possibility of impeaching Duterte. They said her actions are dangerous and show her inability to fulfill her duties with “honor and respect for the law.”

“Impeachment is an important mechanism to show that no one, regardless of position, is above the law,” they said.

On the same day, Ka Paeng, Judie Taguiwalo, and others met with senators to convey the request to open bicameral committee meetings to the media and livestream them like the hearings in both chambers. The bicam conference is scheduled for November 28-30.