The House of Representatives is set to receive on Monday, Aug. 22, the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023 that is P244 billion or nearly 5% more than this year’s P5.024-trillion outlay.
The highest-ever National Expenditure Program (NEP) of the executive department will be handed through Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman in a 10:00 a.m. ceremony at the social hall of the Speaker’s Office.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and his senior vice chairperson Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo will receive the spending proposal.
This is the first full one-year outlay of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. since he assumed office on June 30 this year. Also included in the submissions is Marcos’ budget message to lawmakers and the nation.
The appropriations committee will begin NEP hearings on Aug. 26 with a briefing by the administration’s economic managers on the macro-economic parameters used in the proposal.
House leaders aim to complete budget committee and plenary deliberations by Oct. 1 or before the Sept. 30 deadline, before Congress goes on recess until Nov. 6. Quimbo said the committee aims to finish its hearings by Sept. 16. AG – gb
