House vows to scrutinize every centavo of proposed 2023 national budget
House of Representatives 2022 Sona
MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez promised that every centavo of the proposed 2023 national budget would be appropriately scrutinized, as the legislative chamber starts the budget deliberations come Friday.
Romualdez, in a statement on Thursday, assured the public again that the proposed 2023 budget — handed over by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last Monday — would be a product of both the majority and the minority, as the majority would listen to the minority’s concerns.
“The budget will be product of the entire House of Representatives, where the majority will listen to the minority’s concerns and of course, we as the representatives of the people, will also be attuned to their needs. This budget basically represents the hope of the future and the agenda for prosperity in the country this coming 2023,” he said.
“Every centavo of the national budget will be spent wisely to implement programs that would save lives, protect communities and make our economy strong and more agile,” he added.
Information handed by sources to INQUIRER.net showed that the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), composed of Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, and Central Bank Governor Felipe Medalla would brief Romualdez and other lawmakers about the budget on Friday, at the session hall.
By Tuesday, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office would present its budget to the House committee on appropriations by 9:00 a.m. at the Nograles Hall, followed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation by 1:30 p.m.
The following are the remaining schedule of the per-agency budget briefing:
August 31:
Department of Tourism, 9:30 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Foreign Affairs, 1:30 p.m. (Nograles Hall)
September 1
The Judiciary, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Energy/ Energy Regulatory Commission, 11:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of the Interior and Local Government, 9:00 a.m. (Session Hall)
September 2:
Office of the President, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Office of the Press Secretary, 11:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Agrarian Reform, 1:30 p.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 9:00 a.m., (Session Hall)
September 5
Department of Agriculture/ National Irrigation Administration 9:00 a.m., (Nograles Hall)
September 6
Department of Social Welfare and Development, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
September 7
Department of Justice, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Science and Technology, 1:30 p.m. (Nograles Hall)
September 8
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Trade and Industry, 1:30 p.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Labor and Employment, 9:00 a.m. (Session Hall)
Department of Migrant Workers, 1:30 p.m. (Session Hall)
September 9
Department of Information and Communications Technology, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Commission on Higher Education, 1:30 p.m. (Nograles Hall)
Commission on Elections, 9:00 a.m. (Session Hall)
Commission on Audit, 1:30 p.m. (Session Hall)
September 12
Department of Health, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
September 13
Department of Transportation, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
September 14
Office of the Vice President, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of Education, 10:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
September 15
Commission on Human Rights, 9:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Civil Service Commission, 11:00 a.m. (Nograles Hall)
Office of the Ombudsman, 1:30 p.m. (Nograles Hall)
Department of National Defense, 9:00 a.m. (Session Hall)
September 16
Department of Public Works and Highways, 9:00 a.m. (Session Hall)
Romualdez also assured the public that the House would “effectively respond to the needs of the people, especially in addressing the continued impact of the health crisis, and in creating more jobs and ensuring food security.”
Moreover, he said the budget will be approved on the third and final reading before September 30 — or before Congress goes into recess by October, giving the Senate a longer period to debate it, and President Marcos Jr. enough time to scrutinize it.
Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo, also the committee’s senior vice chairperson on appropriations, said that the per-agency hearings might be completed by September 16, after the proposal would be forwarded to the plenary for further discussion.
Romualdez, Quimbo, and other House leaders received the P5.268 trillion proposed 2023 budget from DBM and Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
The proposed budget is the largest and the first under Marcos Jr.’s administration.
