SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday assured President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. and the nation that the House of Representatives would approve the proposed P5.768-trillion 2024 national budget before the October congressional break.
He made the assurance during the formal submission of the President’s budget proposal to the House in ceremonies attended by other officers of the chamber led by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. and Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe, other House members and Department of Budget and Management officials headed by Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
“Let me assure everyone that the House of the People understands full well the need to pass the national budget on time. The national budget is crucial in maintaining economic stability, sustaining the country’s growth trajectory and facilitating the seamless implementation of government programs and projects. As such, it demands the House’s utmost attention and commitment,” Speaker Romualdez, leader of the 312-member House of Representatives, said.
He said the House would deliberate “in a very transparent manner and get the widest consensus for our spending plan.”
“We will make sure that every centavo of the national budget will be spent wisely and contribute to our goal of reigniting the fires of our economic forges. Sisiguruhin namin dito sa Kongreso na lahat ng buwis na ibinayad ng ating mamamayan ay maibabalik sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng mga programa at proyekto ng gobyerno. Bawat pisong naidagdag sa kaban ng bayan, mapapakinabangan ng taumbayan,” he said.
Speaker Romualdez expressed confidence that with the participation and cooperation of his colleagues and officials of the DBM and other agencies, the House “will be able to scrutinize, deliberate and pass the national budget that is free for 2024 before we go on our first recess in October.”
He pointed out that the annual national budget is the blueprint of the government’s spending priorities.
“Dito nakasaad kung paano maibabalik sa taumbayan ang buwis na kanilang pinagpaguran, kasama ng iba pang revenue sources, sa pamamagitan ng mga importanteng proyekto, programa at serbisyong pangkaunlaran,” he said.
For next year, he said the administration’s priorities would be food security; reduction of transport, logistics costs and energy costs; arresting learning losses; health and social protection; improving bureaucratic efficiency: and sound fiscal management.
He said he was informed that the proposed budget also includes funds to support the country’s climate change initiatives, local government empowerment and the development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The House leader commended President Marcos for submitting his budget proposal through the DBM only eight days after the start of the second regular session of Congress last Monday.
He noted that under the Constitution, the President has 30 days from the opening of every regular session to present his proposed annual budget, including funding sources, to Congress.
He said the early presentation of the proposed spending program “provides the House ample time to study, discuss and deliberate on the finer points of the proposal and formulate a national budget that is responsive to the development needs of the country.”
“Maraming salamat po sa pagbibigay sa amin ng sapat na panahon para pag-aralan ang proposal ng Executive Department. Dahil sa maagang pagtanggap ng 2024 budget proposal, asahan ninyo na magiging mabilis din ang aksyon ng Kongreso para maipasa ang budget sa lalong madaling panahon,” he said.
He also lauded the DBM “for its continued innovation and its concern for the environment.”
“I was told that at the end of today’s event, interested parties need only to scan a QR code to view a copy of the entire 2024 National Expenditure Program (budget proposal). This is in addition to the copy of the proposed budget being available on the DBM website,” he said.
