The House of Representatives on Monday night ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee report on the proposed P5.268-trillion General Appropriations Bill or national budget for 2023, just hours after the bicam panel reconciled the diverging versions of both Congress.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, who presided over the plenary, announced Monday night that the bicam report was formally ratified by viva voce vote.

Congress' ratification of the bicam report clears the way for the enrolled copy of the 2023 GAB to be transmitted to Malacañang for the Chief Executive's signature to be enacted.

The bicameral panel on Monday reconciled the disagreeing provisions of the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for the fiscal year 2023, paving the way for its approval.

The panel convened at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City to harmonize the differing versions of the General Appropriations Bill or the President's proposed national spending plan for next year.

Senate Committee on Finance chair Sonny Angara and House Appropriations Committee chair Elizaldy Co, who presided over the panel, presented the committee report shortly after the bicameral committee convened.

The bicam's version of the proposed 2023 budget restored the controversial P150-million confidential fund of the Department of Education, which was initially chopped to just P30 million by the Senate.

"It was restored to the original amount," Angara said in an ambush interview.

It also restored the P10-billion funding of the government's notorious red-tagger, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, which was reduced to P5 billion in the House version of the proposed budget.

"What they said is they need that budget. Of course, we respect the wishes of the agency (DepEd)," Angara said.

Senate version

Under the Senate version of the General Appropriations Bill, the proposed allocation for the confidential and intelligence fund of the DepEd was trimmed to P50 million after the chamber realigned the P100 million to its Health Learners Institution Program.

Angara said the allocations for other agencies' confidential and intelligence funds were never restored like the Department of Justice.

"I don't remember the exact agencies. Only the DepEd's confidential and intelligence fund has been reinstated," he said.

Co, for his part, said the House bicameral contingents pushed for the restoration of the agency's confidential and intelligence fund to prevent the children from being recruited by rebel groups.

The proposed spending plan for next year also included a P500 million confidential and intelligence fund under the Office of Vice President.

This bicam's budget version will now be sent to the plenary sessions of both chambers, where it is expected to be ratified by the Senate and House within the day.

Both chambers raced against the clock to reconcile their respective versions of the national spending plan so the President could sign the bill into law before year-end.

The bicam committee reconciled both chambers' versions of the GAB just less than two weeks after its first meeting on 25 November.

Budget enactment spurs economic growth

Speaker Martin Romualdez, meanwhile, said that the bicam's budget version, without a doubt, is in line with the Agenda for Prosperity and the President's eight-point socioeconomic program and would keep the country on the growth path.

"With this budget, which is the first full-year spending plan proposed by the President, we hope to hasten our economic growth, which should benefit our people," said the House chief as he congratulated the House and Senate leaders on passing the bicam report.

Furthermore, the budget's approval would continue to provide financial assistance to the most vulnerable sectors, such as medical, transportation, educational, and even burial assistance.

The Department of Budget and Management, on the other hand, can release agency appropriations to stimulate the economy in early 2023.

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