The Senate and the House of Representatives must cooperate and compromise in tackling House Bill No. 10800 or the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Finance Committee, made the call during her opening speech as Congress officially started the bicameral conference to reconcile the conflicting provisions in the proposed PHP6.352-trillion 2025 national budget at Sheraton Manila Hotel in Pasay City.

“Lahat gustong makuha ang pinakamataas na marka para sa kanilang sektor pero kailangan din natin tiyakin na sapat para matugunan ang mga tunay na pangagailan ng bansa (Everyone wants to get the highest score for their sector but we also need to make sure that it is enough to meet the real needs of the country). Today, we’ll make those tough decisions,” Poe said.

“But let’s not forget: This is also a time for cooperation and compromise,” she said.

Among the expected contentions in the 2025 GAB is the PHP733.198 million proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President.

Under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, the OVP proposed to spend PHP2.037 billion, but the House of Representatives decided to cut it by PHP1.3 billion, citing the redundancy of some of its social programs with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Health (DOH).

The Senate adopted the House version, but some senators seek to increase it by up to PHP150 million.

Another is the PHP39 billion fund for the DSWD’s Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) that the House of Representatives vowed to restore after it was removed from the Senate version.

Poe reminded her fellow lawmakers that despite different views and advocacies, the common purpose is to serve the Filipinos.

“My only plea is for us conferees not to take ourselves too seriously. Kung sobrang init na ang diskusyon mamaya, baka kailangan natin ng (If ever discussions will become very heated later, maybe we’ll need a) coffee break, to settle our differences,” she said.

She also assured the House delegation her respect for its work.

The bicameral conference for the 2025 GAB is expected to take two weeks before it will be ratified and sent to Malacañang to be signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PNA)