Submission of 2023 budget to Congress eyed Aug. 22: Palace

In a Palace briefing, Cruz-Angeles said the 2023 budget plan is being fine-tuned after several Cabinet secretaries gave their inputs during the meeting. (File Photo: Office of the Press Secretary/Facebook)

MANILA – The proposed PHP5.628-trillion national budget for 2023 will likely be submitted to Congress on August 22, Malacañang said on Friday.

This developed after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. held a special meeting with his Cabinet at Malacañan Palace to discuss the proposed 2023 budget spending.

“DBM (Department of Budget and Management) is scheduled to submit the Budget Documents to the President on 19 August 2022, not next week as mentioned earlier on the press briefing, and the same is expected to be submitted to Congress on August 22, 2022,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a press statement.

She added that after Friday’s special Cabinet meeting, the DBM shall “undertake the printing of the Budget Documents, which includes the printing of the National Expenditure Program (NEP), Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing, Staffing Summary, and the President’s Budget Message.”

In a Palace briefing, Cruz-Angeles said the 2023 budget plan is being fine-tuned after several Cabinet secretaries gave their inputs during the meeting.

“May mga kaunting input galing sa iba’t ibang mga kalihim para sa fine-tuning na ito. (Different secretaries gave some inputs for the fine-tuning),” she said.

On Monday, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman vowed to submit to Congress the proposed PHP5.628-trillion General Appropriations Act on time to ensure its passage before year end.

The 1987 Constitution mandates the executive department to submit the proposed National Expenditure Program to Congress within 30 days from the opening of the regular session of Congress.

The Marcos administration’s top priority sectors in the budget spending include education, health, infrastructure, and agriculture.

The education sector, Cruz-Angeles said, will receive the biggest budgetary allocation for next year.

Quizzed as to how much will be allocated for the country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response, Cruz-Angeles said: “We don’t have details kasi pina-fine tune pa (because it’s still being fine-tuned).”