EXECUTIVE Secretary Vic Rodriguez (left) thanks the House leadership led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe, senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, House Committee on Appropriations chairman Zaldy Co, and senior House Committee on Appropriations vice chairperson Stella Luz Quimbo for the swift approval of the 2023 budget of the Office of the President. Photo by VER NOVENO
House panel okays Palace budget
AS a courtesy to the co-equal branch of government, the House of Representatives approved the proposed budget of the Office of the President for 2023.
The OP has proposed a P9.031 billion budget for next year, the first whole budget of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration.
It only took 10 minutes for the House committee on appropriations to consider the budget of President Marcos.
Showing support for the OP budget, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe, and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos attended the briefing, along with members of the committee.
Committee chair Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co said the panel graciously acknowledged the commitment of the OP at properly honoring the constitutional mandate to a co-equal branch of the government as evidenced by the presence of its key officials led by Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez to the budget briefing.
Co stressed that the 1987 Constitution gave the President executive powers and tasked him to ensure that laws passed in Congress, including the General Appropriations Act, are faithfully executed.
Dalipe then moved to terminate the OP budget briefing, citing the honored tradition of extending parliamentary courtesy to a co-equal branch of the government, which was quickly seconded.
Rodriguez thanked the lawmakers led by Speaker Romualdez for supporting the OP budget proposal.
“And in line with the expressed instruction of His Excellency President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., you can be assured that the Office of the President is here, together with you your Honors, in meeting the expectations and hopes of the more than 112 million Filipinos, which the President now leads, founded on a solid foundation of 31.5 million votes more or less, in promoting the people’s welfare and upholding the interest of the nation. We are one with you, your Honors in nation-building. Maraminng salamat po,” Rodriguez said.
The OP proposed budget is P796.2 million higher than its 2022 budget of P8.235-billion.
