THE 1987 Constitution is specific on when the President as head of the Executive branch should submit the budget — also known by its formal name, National Expenditure Program (NEP) — to Congress. It is within 30 days after the delivery of the State of the Nation Address (SONA). This means the deadline for the submission of the proposed budget is on August 23 as President Bongbong Marcos delivered his SONA on July 25.
The P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023, as proposed by the Marcos administration, was received by the House of Representatives yesterday from the Executive department. The proposed NEP and other documents prepared by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is P244 billion more than this year’s P5.024-trillion budget. Part of the submissions is the President’s budget message to lawmakers and the nation.
‘It is important that Congress work on passing the budget both judiciously and quickly to prevent snags in governance that go with reenacted budgets, just like what happened in previous administrations.’
To ensure that the NEP will be handled well as soon as the House copy of the document is turned over, the full complement of House officials with relevant budget-related functions took charge of officially receiving it. They were Speaker Martin Romualdez, majority leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, minority leader Marcelino Libanan, House Committee on Appropriations chairman and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and his senior vice chairperson, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo.
The budget season in the House is an opportunity for representatives to flex their muscles over executive officials and ensure that these appointees are qualified and are doing well in terms of serving the public. Here is where the policy of the House holding the purse and identifying state expenses is most operative.
The NEP and its accompanying documents are submitted to the House because the Constitution provides that “all appropriation, revenue or tariff bills, bills authorizing increase of the public debt, bills of local application, and private bills shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments.”
But traditionally, the Palace has also been furnishing the Senate with copies of its budget submissions on the day that it presents them to the House.
What follows is a series of hearings by the appropriations committee with the administration’s economic managers and Cabinet members justifying their spending proposals.
House leaders promised that the appropriations committee will try to finish its hearings by Sept. 16 to give the House two weeks for plenary deliberations, and third and final reading approval before the October 1 recess.
It is important that Congress work on passing the budget both judiciously and quickly to prevent snags in governance that go with reenacted budgets, just like what happened in previous administrations.