In a significant move, the House of Representatives has removed Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Elizaldy Co from his position as chair of the House Committee on Appropriations. The decision came during a plenary session where Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, son of the president, proposed the vacancy of the chair position. The motion passed without any objections, though no immediate successor was appointed.
Following the decision, Co released a statement citing health issues as the reason for his resignation. He expressed gratitude towards the congressional majority for accepting his decision to step down, emphasizing that the demanding nature of his role had impacted his health, necessitating a focus on his well-being. Co highlighted his achievements during his tenure, including the implementation of the Ayuda Para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program and securing funds for significant projects in health, housing, and food security. He also mentioned aligning the budgets for 2023, 2024, and 2025 with the administration’s economic goals.
The House Committee on Appropriations is crucial for the formulation and scrutiny of the national budget, conducting hearings on departmental and agency budgets. Recently, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the 2025 General Appropriations Act into law, after vetoing PHP194 billion in line items that did not align with his administration’s priorities. The original budget of PHP6.352 trillion was reduced to PHP6.326 trillion due to these vetoes. The President justified his vetoes by stressing the need for government spending to directly address the needs of Filipinos and to support strategic fiscal consolidation. Key vetoed items included allocations for the Department of Public Works and Highways and unprogrammed appropriations. Some programs, like the Ayuda Para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program, were conditionally implemented, requiring adherence to specific guidelines.