Thepassage of the 2023 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) will be the top priority of the upcoming 19th Congress, assured presumptive House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.
“Of course the most important is the 2023 budget which we will pass, definitely well, well within the third quarter, or the last quarter rather, and the President will have sufficient time to sign it into law before the year ends," Romualdez bared to reporters in an ambush interview on Monday, July 18.
"As you know the executive has the prerogative to submit the NEP (National Expenditure Program) or the proposed budget within a 30 day period from the delivery of SONA (State of the Nation Address). We will expect the submission of budget within that time period," he continued.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will deliver his first SONA on July 25 at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City during a joint session between the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The 2023 GAB will then be filed and based off the submitted NEP. The House Committee on Appropriations will then scrutinize the GAB and once approved by Congress, it will require Marcos’ signature to become the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the annual budget.
He further vowed that the 19th Congress would prioritize bills the House and the Senate had passed in the previous Congress, but failed to become a law. He said of them have already been refiled on June 30.
The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) vowed that these would all be passed within the first year of the 19th Congress, or the first regular session.
Romualdez also assured that both chambers of Congress would operate smoothly together without hindrance.
"No hindrances are anticipated. We have talked about it with economic managers, with our counterpart in the Senate and in the House, we have actually more time discussing that with the leadership and sometimes the Senate is maybe more deliberate, it will take time. But we don't anticipate any hindrances or any problems, we are looking forward to a very smooth and functioning Congress, both House and Senate,” the speakership frontrunner concluded.