Matapos ang mahigit na isang linggong mapagod at mahabang deliberasyon sa badyet ng bawat Kagawaran ng pamahalaan, sinabi ng mga opisyal ng Komite ng Appropriations sa Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan na ang panukalang P5.268-trilyon pambansang plano sa paggasta ay nasa wastong landas pa rin para sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa, na nakatakda sa ika-1 ng Oktubre.
"As of yesterday (Monday), 14 out of 34 agencies have briefed Congress regarding their respective budget proposals," ayon kay Marikina City 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo, senior vice chairperson ng Komite ng Appropriations, sa pulong balitaan ng Ugnayan sa Batasan Majority News Forum.
"With two more weeks of budget briefings, the appropriations committee, led by Chairperson Elizaldy Co, gladly shares that we are still on track with our target date to pass the GAB by October 1, 2022. On September 16, we are expected to finish the budget
hearings and head on to plenary debates by September 21. Even before the budget hearings commenced, everyone took their tasks seriously by having clear communication lines with the agencies," ani Quimbo.
Ang GAB ay tumutukoy sa General Appropriations Bill, na siyang panukalang badyet na ihahain ng Kapulungan bago magsimula ang debate sa plenaryo.
Ang P5.268-trilyon National Expenditure Program (NEP) para sa 2023 ang batayan ng GAB.
"Healthy exchanges between departments and members of Congress transpired during the said budget briefings. Among the agencies that briefed the Committee on Appropriations were the DBCC, DA, DOE, DILG, the DENR, DOT, and the Office of the President. Today, the hearing for the DSWD is underway," ani Quimbo.
Kanyang ibinahagi na sa ngayon, ang talakayan sa mga budget briefing ay umiikot sa mga pangunahing prayoridad sa paggasta para sa 2023 badyet. Ito ay kinabibilangan ng Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Program at ang Total Electrification Program, at iba pa. Sinabi ni Quimbo na ibat ibang usapin ang tinalakay sa ibat ibang ahensya sa mga idinaos na pagdinig.
"Halos lahat ay humingi ng konsiderasyon sa kanilang mas mataas na budget proposal na sinumite sa DBM. Bagamat sinuportahan ito ng maraming kongresista, hindi pa clearly identified ang mga programang pwedeng pagkunan ng budget increases. Ayon sa Konstitusyon, hindi na pwedeng palitan ang budget ceiling na 5.268 T. Kaya’t kung tataasan ang halaga ng isang budget item, kelangan bawasan ang isa pang budget item," ani Quimbo.
"Gayunpaman, hindi rin naman ganun kataas and budget utilization rate ng ilang ahensya. The absorptive capacity of the agencies is a perennial challenge kaya dapat mapagtuunan talaga ng pansin ang pagbabantay sa execution ng budget," paliwanag ni Quimbo.
"Devolution was also a recurring issue, particularly in DILG and DENR. Lawmakers have shown concern regarding the capacity of LGUs to absorb the devolved functions from national agencies, especially with a smaller NTA from last year. Finally, we observed that digitalization is a common theme in the agencies' plans to improve their overall operations," aniya.
Gayunpaman, sinabi ni Quimbo na ang Kongreso at nananatiling naninindigan sa kanilang layunin para sa mabilisang pagpasa ng GAB upang bigyan ng sapat na panahon ang pagganap nila sa kanilang kapangyarihan sa oversight.
"This way, we can ensure that the agencies will not only use their respective budgets for programs in alignment with the new administration’s 8-point socioeconomic agenda but will also be genuinely felt by the Filipino people who will benefit from their programs. Rest assured that we will continue to work harder to achieve these goals without compromising on producing a high-quality national budget aimed for prosperity," pagtatapos niya.
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