President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), setting the Philippines’ national budget of P5.268 trillion for the coming year.
“The passage of the GAA is an early Christmas gift for our people and a great way to welcome the new year,” said Senate President Migz Zubiri. “And I thank President Marcos for signing this gift this early.”
“I am very proud of the swift passage of our budget, because this will allow our government agencies and offices to go full speed ahead in service of our people.”
“I am very proud of the swift passage of our budget, because this will allow our government agencies and offices to go full speed ahead in service of our people. They will not have to deal with the uncertainty of awaiting their final budget, and they can proceed with the necessary preparations for their programs and projects, with full confidence that they will get the budget that they need,” Zubiri explained.
“This is the fastest, most efficient budget season we have had.”
“The swift passage of the GAA through the Senate and the House of Representatives is unprecedented. This is the fastest, most efficient budget season we have had. But by no means was it rushed. The marathon Senate hearings and debates were extremely thorough and allowed for our colleagues to go through the GAA with a fine-toothed comb,” the veteran legislator added.
Under seasoned lawmaker’s leadership, the Senate has also constituted a Special Oversight Committee for Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF), to watch over said funds, which amount to over P9.2 billion for 2023.
“I am happy about the productive working relationship that we in the Senate have established with the House and the executive, in creating laws that will realize the administration’s goals of uplifting our people, particularly as we continue to recover from the pandemic,” the senator said.
“But the Senate is its own institution, and we take seriously our responsibility to review and amend the national budget as we find necessary, and make sure every peso will be used for the benefit of our people. That includes exercising our full oversight function on the use of our funds as well,” he stressed.
“So as I celebrate this early passage of the budget, I also assure the country that our job does not end here. We will keep watch over the utilization of the budget, and make sure it is all used as planned,” Zubiri concluded.
