SEN. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairperson of the Senate committee on finance, yesterday said he is ready to file the committee report on the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023 on Tuesday next week.
Angara said he will deliver the sponsorship speech for the General Appropriations Act during the Senate’s afternoon session on the same day.
Angara said under the draft committee report, the budget for calamities for next year is roughly around P30 billion, which he said is “larger than in past years.”
“Given the increased frequency and magnitude of recent typhoons, this is appropriate.
Certainly, the committee will always be open to changes which may help our people during these difficult times, and which will improve the government’s response to these calamities,” Angara said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate will review and “readjust” some of the provisions in the proposed national budget to make it responsive to disasters.
Zubiri earlier said the proposed 2023 national budget will focus on “recovery and revenue generation” since the government is still facing a deficit for next year and will be forced to borrow to pay for expenditures, reason why the administration is on “double time” to collect revenues.
Zubiri said the Senate is right on track in passing the proposed national budget with the finance committee sponsoring the budget measure when Congress resumes regular sessions next week.
Senators are expected to hold marathon discussions on the money measure so they can pass it on second and third reading before the end of November.
“We’re on track… We don’t see any major obstacles to pass the budget…Sen. Angara is doing a great job, just like the other sub-committee chairpersons. I don’t think we will have a big problem,” Zubiri said.
