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Senate concludes plenary debates on 2023 proposed budget
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Senators, led by Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri pose for a traditional photo-op with Senate officials and staff headed by Sec. Renato Bantug after the chamber ends its marathon plenary debates on the proposed 2023 national budget Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo: Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB via Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)
MANILA – The Senate ended its marathon debates Friday on House Bill (HB) 4488 or the PHP5.268 trillion 2023 proposed national budget, with the Commission on Higher Education’s budget as the last agency tackled.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and 15 other senators closed the period of interpellations and gave his colleagues, staff and all government agencies pats on their backs for defending their proposed budgets.
“Finally, tapos na ang debate sa national budget ng Pilipinas. Natapos po kami ng 1:42 a.m. at nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng masisipag natin mga senador na maski na umaga na ay nindito pa sila lahat (the debate on the national budget of the Philippines is done. We finished at 1:42 a.m. and I thank all our hardworking senators who stayed up until dawn),” Zubiri said in a social media post.
“Salamat din sa lahat ng staff at secretariat sa pamumuno ni secretary Rey Bantug. At syempre sa lahat ng departamento na naghintay at nakipila sa pagpasa ng kanikanilang mga budget. Mabuhay ang Senado! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas (Thank you to all the staff and secretariat led by secretary Rey Bantug. And of course, to all the departments who waited and fell in line to pass their budgets. Long live the Senate! Long live the Philippines)!” Zubiri added in his post.
The marathon debates in the Senate started on Nov. 10 with the PHP8.9 billion proposed budget of the Office of the President.
The Senate is expected to pass HB 4488 on second and third readings next week and will proceed to a bicameral conference with the House of Representatives to fix and agree on disparities of the two versions.