House members are still on a high following the early enactment of the 2023 national budget, which some have called "record-breaking". First-time lawmakers are no exception.
One of them, Bulacan 6th district Rep. Salvador Pleyto, couldn't help but feel proud over the achievement, which is directly attributable to Congress.
"I am very proud to be a member of Congress as neophyte congressman, that our budget was signed by the President , the fastest ever in our history," Pleyto, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Public Works and Highways, said over the weekend.
"I did my humble little share in the early passage of our budget, as member of our Appropriations Committee. We really participated in the deliberations of budget bill at the committee level and in the plenary," he added.
On Friday afternoon, Dec. 16, President Marcos affixed his signature to the P5.268-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget for 2023--the biggest ever in the country’s history.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez has said that the 2023 GAA is the only budget in recent memory to have been signed in mid-December.
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Before the signing, the designated members of the House of Representatives and Senate--which comprise Congress--carried out the Bicameral Conference Committee meetings on the budget in a very expeditious manner. Only two meetings were held in all.
This paved the way for the immediate ratification of the proposed budget by both chambers, afterwhich the measure was sent to Malacañang for the President’s signature.
Pleyto thanked Marcos for quickly enacting the budget. "Thank you for all the support," he said.