THE House of Representatives posted a P4.7 billion budget surplus in 2022, up 78 percent from P2.64 billion the year before despite a P934.41 million increase in spending, according to the 2022 audit report of the Commission on Audit.
The report said the lower house’s 2022 Financial Statements showed its expenses on Personnel Services (PS), Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), Financial Expenses, and Non-Cash Expenses totaled P17.18 billion last year compared to P16.25 billion in 2021.
However, last year’s disbursements were well below the Net Financial Subsidy of P21.879 billion it received from the national government.
Personnel Services, which include salaries and benefits of all HOR personnel, showed a slight uptick year on year from P4.8 billion to P4.86 billion due primarily to the implementation of the third tranche of salary increases for government sector employees approved under the Salary Standardization Law of 2019.
The MOOE also went up from P11.265 billion in 2021 to P12.13 billion last year as the chamber made adjustments following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions to travel and indoor gathering.
Under this are foreign and local travels undertaken by House members and support staff which slightly went up from P480 million to P486 million.
Also under the MOOE is “Other maintenance and operating expenses,” which climbed from P4.788 billion to P5.406 billion year on year due to more activities undertaken by oversight committees, public affairs and district operations of all House members, as well as State of the Nation Address (SONA) related expenses.
