OP’s P10.5 billion budget clears Senate panel in under 10 minutes

THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET: Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin leads officials of the executive department in presenting the Office of the President’s P10.7-billion proposed budget for 2024 before the Senate Finance Subcommittee A on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. (File photo from Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the President (OP) has been green-lighted at the committee level in the Senate.

The proposal will now be submitted to the plenary for approval.

The OP budget was approved in less than 10 minutes after the Senate sub-panel on finance began its inquiry, because of parliamentary courtesy given to a co-equal branch of the government.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin represented President “Bongbong” Marcos.

The proposed 2025 budget of OP amounts to P10.5 billion, a figure that is 1.88 percent lower than the agency’s budget in 2024.

The reduction in the budget being proposed, according to Bersamin, will not affect the delivery of services of the President to Filipinos.

“While this amount is 1.88% lower than the budget of the OP in 2024 and represents a mere 1/9th of one percent of the proposed total national budget for 2025, we believe that it will be enough for the President to meet the exacting demands of being the head of state and of government, the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy, and commander-in-chief,” said Bersamin.

“The budget adjustment will still be able to sufficiently accommodate the logistical requirements of honoring invitations from foreign leaders to visit their countries, as well as to carry out diplomatic initiatives which would yield job-creating investments that will hasten support [for] our post-pandemic economic recovery,” he added.

Bersamin said the proposed fund will also cover necessary infrastructure works within the Palace Complex.

Apart from this, he emphasized that their “presence” in the Monday hearing manifests Marcos’ “commitment to work closely with the Senate,” apart from it being a legal requirement to present their proposed budget before a co-equal branch.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada moved to approve OP’s budget.

His motion was seconded by Sen. Nancy Binay and was later approved by the Senate panel on finance head Sen. Grace Poe.