FILE PHOTO: Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo. Photo from Rep. Quimbo’s Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on appropriations approved the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or the proposed 2024 national budget on Thursday.
Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo disclosed in an ambush interview that plenary debates were scheduled to begin on September 19, stressing the panel’s goal to approve the GAB on the third and final reading by September 27.
“We approved the bill at the committee level, that’s the committee report, and we also approved the schedule on the plenary debates. So we are beginning September 19 and hopefully approving the bill on the third reading, September 27,” the committee’s senior vice chairperson told reporters.
Quimbo cited two changes in the GAB: the extension of the validity of government agencies’ maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) from one and a half years to two years and a special provision on Congress’ independence.
“There were two changes [to] the NEP (National Expenditures Program). One is on the validity of the budget. We changed it from one and a half years for MOOE to two years,” she explained.
“And then the other is on the, we put in a special provision on the chapter for Congress to ensure the independence of Congress, meaning that provision would ensure the independence of Congress as a co-equal branch of government,” she added.
House budget deliberations at the committee level ended Tuesday, September 12, with the Commission on Higher Education’s requested budget being the last to undergo scrutiny by lawmakers.
Legislators would have another chance to analyze the proposed budget for various government agencies during debates at the House plenary. However, this time, queries will be answered by lawmakers from the appropriations panel who stand as sponsors of agency budgets – and no longer the office heads and officials.
READ: Economic cluster assures House: PH getting closer to medium-term growth goals
Ombudsman Martires’ plea denied
Quimbo also revealed that the committee maintained the provision requiring the Commission on Audit (COA) to publish its yearly report, apparently rejecting the request of Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
READ: Martires seeks non-publication of COA’s initial audit memo
The rest of GAB’s content, she added, remained the same.
“Yes, everything else remains the same […] Nando’n pa rin ‘yon (It’s still there), everything else is the same,” Quimbo said.
READ: Martires seeks to halt annual audit report release, not AOM
On Wednesday, House committee on appropriations chair and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co said they are one step closer to finalizing the proposed budget and thanked fellow lawmakers for carefully checking allocations in each department’s proposed budget.
“The work is far from over, but the completion of these budget briefings marks a critical milestone in our journey towards a more prosperous and equitable Philippines,” Co said.
“I want to express my deep gratitude to my esteemed colleagues in the Appropriations Committee and the dedicated congressmen who have worked meticulously in reviewing and suggesting valuable inputs for the budget,” he added.