The House of Representatives committee on appropriations on Friday approved the P8.969-billion budget of the Office of the President (OP) for 2023 without any question from the panel members.
Questions may be brought up at plenary after all the other branches of government have gone through the committee level, said Ako-Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, chairperson of the House Appropriations Committee. Co said the OP budget will enable President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to deliver on the demands of his office, especially as the world transitions from the pandemic and confronts the effects of climate change.
OP’s budget proposal for 2023 indicates how the President will “deliver his constitutional mandates as Head of State and of Government… especially during these challenging times.”
The 2023 OP budget is slightly higher than the office’s 2022 budget of P8.182 billion.
Co said the OP budget presentation allows the House of Representatives to get guidance on the general direction of government.
“Equally important to providing us with the governance direction of the Office of the President requiring Congressional support towards our common objective—a brighter future for the Philippines and the Filipino people,” he said.
Attending the brief hearing for the proposed budget were officials of the Office of the President Proper, led by Executive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez.
Co, as committee chairperson, thanked the OP for honoring the constitutional mandate to a co-equal branch of the government with the presence of its key officials at Friday’s hearing.
In another budget presentation, the House appropriations committee also heard the P18.576-billion budget of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Next year’s DENR proposed budget is lower than both this year’s P19.645 billion and 2020’s P20.065 billion.
Co said he expects DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga—a known and respected climate change advocate—to implement climate change adaptation measures using a science-based approach on a national scale, as well as building resilient communities through a risk-sensitive and balanced development of resources.
“The Committee commends the effort of the department to increase the forest cover of our country through the Greening Program and to the successful rehabilitation of one of the major tourist destinations of the country Boracay, including Manila Bay,” Co said.
“We look forward to more similar rehabilitation projects for other major tourist destinations to improve our tourism economy,” the House appropriations committee chair added.
Co said he hopes Yulo-Loyzaga will be able to “weave environmental policies into all development programs that support sustainable, inclusive, and long-term growth of the economy.”