Senate on track with the budget schedule — Zubiri

Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri on Monday said the Upper Chamber is on track with the budget schedule as sub-committees concluded their budget deliberations.

"Last week we concluded our sub-committee hearings on the proposed 2023 national budget, and I am very glad to report that the Senate is fully on track with the budget schedule that we have laid out," Zubiri said in a statement.

"Over the course of the hearings, our sub-committees carefully combed over our agencies' programs and spending vis-à-vis the proposed P5.268 trillion budget, to ensure that the 4.9 percent increase from this year's budget is warranted, and is crucial to the country's continued recovery from the pandemic," he added.

Zubiri admitted that the chamber is "only halfway up the hill." However, he stressed that they will immediately start the budget deliberations in the plenary upon the resumption of the session in November.

The Senate chief expressed his gratitude to his fellow lawmakers for helping the chamber to be on track with the budget schedule.

"I am grateful to all our hardworking Senators for ably steering their respective sub-committees, and for keeping us on track with our budget timeline," he said.

"With everyone keeping the same work ethic and urgency to the plenary, we expect to spend about two weeks in marathon plenary deliberations, and we will hopefully be able to approve the budget as early as the third week of November," he added.

The House of Representatives approved on final reading the proposed ₱5.268-trillion national budget on 28 September.