Photo screengrabbed from House of Representatives video.
QUEZON CITY (PIA) — Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Cesar Chavez expressed gratitude to the House of Representatives for the speedy approval of the PHP2.281-billion budget of PCO for 2025.
“The fact that our budget breezed through the [House of Representatives] plenary without a single question asked, and no opposition, spurs us more to deliver on the outcomes we have promised,” said Chavez in a statement.
“We appreciate the HoR’s full support for our new programs, the driving mandate of which is the truthful and timely communication of government services and initiatives to the public and all issues that affect them,” he added.
The motion to terminate discussions on PCO’s proposed budget for 2025, which is 24.37 percent lower than the 2024 allocation of PHP3.016 billion, was met without opposition.
AKO BICOL Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon, the budget sponsor, underscored the importance of the PCO as the government’s lead communications arm.
“The Presidential Communications Office is the lead communications arm of the government, the primary source of the administration’s messages for an informed and empowered citizenry,” Bongalon said.
He cited Executive Order (EO) 16, series of 2023, as the legal basis for the PCO’s mandate to manage and coordinate the messaging of the Executive Branch and the Office of the President.
“By virtue of Executive Order No. 16, series of 2023, the agency is responsible for crafting, formulating, developing, enhancing, and coordinating the messaging system of the Executive Branch and the Office of the President,” Bongalon said.
For 2025, the proposed appropriations for the PCO and its attached agencies and corporations amount to PHP2.281 billion, a PHP735.152 million decrease from the previous year’s PHP3.016 billion.
Despite the budget cut, APEC Party-list Rep. Sergio Dagooc expressed his full support for the PCO’s role and suggested that the office deserves more funding.
“I fully agree with you on your sponsorship speech. As a matter of fact, I do believe that the Presidential Communications Office deserves more budget,” Dagooc said.
As no members of the minority sought to question or challenge the proposed allocation, the plenary moved quickly to terminate the period of interpellation.
“With the importance of this office, there is no member of the minority who wishes to interpellate,” Dagooc said. (With a report from PNA)
