Former Senate President Franklin Drilon and a former finance official have criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vetoes in the 2025 national budget, arguing that they failed to eliminate “pork barrel” allocations.
Drilon noted that the vetoes, which removed over ₱194 billion from the budget, did not address the core issues of the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
He emphasized that the vetoes were largely cosmetic, leaving the so-called pork insertions largely intact.
Drilon also pointed out that the vetoed unprogrammed activities and projects were not supported by programmed revenues, rendering the cuts ineffective.
He called for a more thorough review to ensure that the budget serves the public interest and not political agendas.
Source: PhilNews24 | January 2, 2025
