HOUSE Committee on Agriculture Chairman and Quezon 1st district Rep. Mark Enverga expressed appreciation to the executive branch Tuesday for the nearly 40 percent budgetary increase allocated to the Department of Agriculture (DA) based on the recently-submitted 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Speaking during the Ugnayan sa Batasan Majority News Forum, Enverga said that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivered on his promise to prioritize food security.
“Masayang masaya kami coming from an agricultural sector magandang balita po para sa ating mga magsasaka yung 39 percent ang inincrease ng Department of Agriculture so this is good news to the farmers,” he said.
“In general masayang masaya po tayo, tumutoo po ang ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na kung saan nga number 1 po niyang, sa agenda po niya is food security which I definitely am sure will be very much inclusive,” Enverga said.
It can be recalled that Marcos voluntarily took on the job of DA secretary to begin his tenure as president. He made this decision to ensure that the agency would be better prepared to handle a looming food supply crisis.
Incidentally Enverga hails from a province that is known for its agricultural produce, which include grains, fruits, and vegetables. This means he is in touch with local farmers.
“On my end kami masaya kami kasi finally nabigyan ng pansin yung agricultural sector, it has been long been neglected,” he said.
Referring to the upcoming budget deliberations in the House on the P5.268-trillion NEP, Enverga expressed confidence that the DA would be able to send resource persons who can give lawmakers all the information they need.
“We, of course, have heard that he has designated Usec. [Domingo] Panganiban to be representing him when it comes to the budget deliberations and I think it’s also the key people within the agency that will be answering most of the question so siguro mas magandang sa kanila rin nating marinig yung detalye,” he said.
The House led by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez received the 2023 NEP from Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Monday.
Based on the NEP, DA’s proposed budget for next year is P184.1 billion. This is P81.6 billion higher than the agency’s 2022 NEP allocation.
The 2023 proposed budget for DA is significantly higher that the P132.2 billion that it was officially given under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
