The Senate of the Philippines commended the Department of Finance’s (DOF) digitalization efforts and reforms for efficient public service as it closed the period of interpellations for the Department’s 2025 budget on November 7, 2024.

The DOF’s proposed budget for 2025 amounts to PHP 36.2 billion. This is 34.6% higher than its 2024 budget but comprises only 0.6% of the proposed PHP 6.35 trillion national budget in 2025.

Senate Committee on Finance Chairperson Senator Grace L. Poe sponsored the DOF budget before the Senate plenary.

During the interpellation, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III lauded the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for their effective management and handling of public complaints.

“Keep on improving the delivery of your services and the level of honesty on how you deal with the public,” the Senator said.

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian expressed his support and commended the BIR for advancing digitalization in its tax collection processes.

“Digitalization is a way to improve the delivery of services and the collection of taxes as well as to eliminate human intervention and sources of corruption and controversies. I fully support the digitalization efforts of the BIR,” he said.

He likewise proposed to increase the BIR’s budget to effectively implement the Ease of Paying Taxes (EOPT) Act, which aims to make tax transactions easier and more convenient for the public.

Senator Gatchalian also congratulated the DOF for expediting the crafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act (RPVARA), which will establish a just, equitable, and efficient real property valuation system in the Philippines.

After the period of interpellation, the Senators motioned to deem the DOF’s proposed budget submitted and for consideration by the legislative body.

Guided by the Medium-Term Fiscal Program, the DOF ensures that the government attains its revenue targets annually to reduce deficit and debt gradually in a realistic manner, while creating more jobs, increasing people’s incomes, and decreasing poverty in the process.