PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is set to submit his proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for next year to the House of Representatives today, Monday.
The President will make the submission through Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, who will present the proposed outlay and other related documents, including his budget message, to Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and other officials of the House of Representatives.
The turnover will take place at 10 a.m. at the Romualdez Hall of the House at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.
On the eve of the submission of the proposed budget to Congress, Speaker Romualdez said the House is ready to receive it and to start committee deliberations as soon as possible.
“We will make sure that enough funds will be allocated for social services and for programs that will sustain our economic growth,” he said.
He said the House would scrutinize budget proposal and would continue to exercise its oversight function to ensure that agencies are judiciously spending the money allocated to them.
He added that the House would align its version of the 2025 budget with President Marcos’ spending priorities and his Agenda for Prosperity.
The leader of the 300-plus-strong House reiterated his commitment to approve the proposed budget before the first recess of Congress in October.
This week, after inspecting flooded areas in Metro Manila, Romualdez vowed to initiate a review and an updating of flood control projects in the metropolis and other flood-prone parts of the country.
The President is presenting the budget to Congress exactly a week from the opening of the third and last regular session of the legislature, or three weeks ahead of his constitutional deadline.
The President’s proposal is known as the National Expenditure Program (NEP). The Congress’ version of the budget is called the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). When the President signs the bill into law, it becomes the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The proposed budget for next year is about P585 billion more than this year’s P5.767 trillion outlay. (END)
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