President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the P5.268 trillion 2023 national budget on Friday, calling it “as fine a Christmas gift” a chief executive could receive from Congress.
The General Appropriations Act of 2023, he said, was the national roadmap that defines the intentions of the government and the projects it would pursue next year.
He also said the speed by which Congress passed the GAA—“the fastest passage of the national budget that we have seen so far”—was indicative of the support and solidarity that the legislature had with the executive department.
“The roadmap that we have proposed from the executive is fully supported by our legislature and that is very, very important indeed,” Marcos said, noting that preparing a budget was often a long, difficult, and long-drawn-out process.
“The legislature has been very cooperative in making… amendments that we find are necessary to the laws in terms of investment, in terms of… our financial policy. All these elements… are important for us to position ourselves in the… new economy after the pandemic,” the President said.
Mr. Marcos thanked the members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for creating the carefully crafted 2023 GAA, citing the leadership of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Moreover, the President also acknowledged the efforts of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for their dedication and hard work in preparing the budget proposal.
“I had a picture with the DBM and the DBM staff. And I’ve met with them before. It’s the first time I’ve seen them smiling again because their job is done.” Mr. Marcos said.
The 2023 budget, which is 4.9 percent higher than this year’s, seeks to support the current administration’s goal of economic transformation, with the infrastructure and education sectors securing the largest shares.
The Department of Education, Public Works, Health, Social Welfare, Agriculture, and Transportation are among the priority sectors in the administration’s first national budget.
Senate finance panel chairperson Sonny Angara said the bicameral conference-approved 2023 budget realigned funding to increase allocations for state universities and colleges, DepEd, infrastructure projects including bike lanes and specialty hospitals across the country, Libreng Sakay program, fuel subsidy, emergency employment,
Assistance to Individuals in Crisis, Quick Response Fund, Department of Justice, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Supreme Court.
He said Congress also restored the P10-billion budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which was reduced to P5 billion in the House version of the proposed budget.
Angara said the signing of the 2023 national budget would ensure continuous delivery of service, including the “targeted ayuda,” Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), medical assistance to low-income Filipinos, scholarships to students, assistance to public utility vehicle drivers and operators, subsidies for the farmers and fisherfolk, and increase of the pension for the indigent senior citizens.
He said the budget will also cover the benefits and allowance for the health workers in the country.
The budget also provided P170 billion for the agriculture sector, in line with the President’s priority, Angara said.
It also incorporates P150 million in confidential funds for the Department of Education, as well as the P10 billion funding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, two controversial budget items that the Senate had originally sliced from the spending plan.
The budget also includes a P4.5-billion confidential and intelligence fund under the Office of the President and P500 million under the Office of the Vice President.
Romualdez said the P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget will help the administration implement its Agenda for Prosperity to sustain growth, generate economic activities and jobs, and increase the income for Filipinos.
“It is the most important and potent tool the President, his economic team, and the entire government can use to accomplish the goals of the prosperity roadmap,” Romualdez said.
He said the House of Representatives and the Senate deliberated on and approved the President’s first full-year budget proposal “in record time.”
“As far as I can remember, the 2023 budget is one of the few spending bills signed into law in mid-December, way before the start of its implementation on New Year’s Day,” he added.
House Appropriations Committee chairman and Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co said the P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget will help the country move forward from the pandemic to prosperity.
“The annual passage of the General Appropriations Act is the single most important task of Congress. This GAA for 2023 will help the Philippines recover from the continuing effects of the pandemic and move forward to prosperity,” said Co.
Romualdez and Co thanked members of the House and the Senate and executive officials for their cooperation in the early passage of the appropriations bill.
“The Filipino people should always benefit from the laws we pass. This GAA provides for items that would sustain the growth we are enjoying, continue generating investments and jobs for our constituents, and increase incomes of Filipino families,” Co said.
Romualdez said the administration, principally the DBM, now has enough time to prepare for the release of funds appropriated in the 2023 budget law.
“The money needed to sustain our economic expansion momentum and keep the country on the high-growth path should be out on Jan. 1. Agencies should be ready to keep up with their programs, activities, and projects while observing transparency and accountability,” Romualdez said.
