Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin is expected to make his debut in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Sept. 28, roughly 24 hours after he was installed to his high-profile position.
And he can expect to be asked "numerous" questions by the congressmen, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo said during the Ugnayan sa Batasan News Forum on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
"That is the expectation," Quimbo said when asked if she thinks Bersamin would appear before the House plenary Wednesday, when the Office of the President's (OP) proposed budget for 2023 gets taken up in the plenary debates.
"Kasi kung sino yung executive secretary, siya yung (Because if he's the executive secretary, he's the one who should appear)," added the Committee on Appropriations senior vice chairperson.
Former Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Bersamin took his oath as "ES" Tuesday in Malacañang. He replaced Vic Rodriguez, who resigned last Sept. 17.
During the committee-level discussion on the 2023 national budget, it was Rodriguez who went to the House to represent the OP.
The OP is among the last agencies or constitutional bodies slated to be taken up in the plenary debates on the P5.268-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Asked if she thinks congressmen would ask a lot of questions to Bersamin, Quimbo said it's a possibility.
"May posibilidad because normally, kapag bago, gusto rin makilala ng Congress ang ating mga bagong opisyales (There's a possibility because normally, if we have new officials, members of Congress would like to get to know them)," she said.
The GAB is expected to be approved on third and final reading by the House tomorrow, Wednesday.