SENATORS ended plenary debates on the Palace-proposed 2023 budget bill, inching closer to a final vote on the P5.268-trillion annual money measure endorsed by Malacañang to bankroll government operations next year.
Adjourning their marathon deliberations past 1 a.m. Friday, the lawmakers concluded the extended session after tackling the proposed budget of the Commission on Higher Education and the National Commission for Senior Citizens.
It took lawmakers two weeks of overtime deliberations to thoroughly scrutinize the proposed funding items, with senators and staff working sometimes on marathon sessions of 12 to 16 hours.
By next week, the senators will proceed to open the period of amendments, enabling lawmakers to introduce changes in the original version of the annual money measure submitted by Malacañang that would either cut Palace-endorsed funding items or realign allocations. The Senate leadership earlier set a timeline of having the budget bill hurdle second and third reading in one day—as allowed by the rules for certified measures—on Monday, November 21.
Once the measure is passed, the senators will sit down with their House counterparts in a bicameral conference committee that would submit a final version after reconciling conflicting provisions in the Senate and House versions of the P5.268-trillion annual funding bill.
From there, the annual budget bill will be submitted to a final vote by the Senate and the House, with the ratified version submitted to Malacañang for the President’s signature.
Social safety nets
The proposed 2023 budget highlights social safety nets in a bid to support economic recovery amid continuing uncertainties brought mainly by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Senator Win Gatchalian.
“We recognize the need to support marginalized sectors of our society, but this should be targeted, which means only those in dire need should receive aid from the government,” Gatchalian stressed.
“We have instituted social safety nets such as subsidies for fuel, subsidies for the poorest of the poor, and other energy-related subsidies as we expect external factors such as the Russia-Ukraine issue and the Covid-19 pandemic to persist in 2023,” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance Sub-Committee .
“As long as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is there, crude oil prices are likely to be around $90 per barrel by next year and we see local pump prices to hover around P70-P90 per liter. This means we still need to give subsidy, but this should be targeted,” he said.
Financial subsidies provided by the government include the subsidy for the transport sector called the Pantawid Pasada Program and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for the poorest of the poor. Other energy-related subsidies include the electrification programs of the Department of Energy and the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the fuel and off-grid electrification for rural areas, and the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund (ECERF) to fund electric cooperatives in restoring distribution lines damaged by typhoons and other natural calamities.
Under the Senate’s proposed budget for next year, a total of P110.61 billion has been allocated for the 4Ps program, while the Pantawid Pasada program carries a proposed budget of P5 billion.
Meanwhile, for the energy-related subsidies, the DOE electrification has a budget of P500 million, P1.6 billion for NEA electrification, and P200 million for ECERF.
Image credits: Senate PRIB/Facebook