House ratifies bicam version of 2024 budget

The House of Representatives on Monday ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the national government's proposed P5.768 trillion budget for fiscal year 2024.
 
The House adopted the bicam report via viva voce, just hours after the panel, composed of members of the Senate and the House, reconciled the disagreeing versions of the 2024 General Appropriations Bill.
 
Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, both Makabayan bloc members, manifested before the plenary their strong objection to the prompt ratification of the bicam report, citing the need for further scrutiny of the amendments to next year's budget.
 
Brosas said that while the House "rightfully" removed the P650 million confidential funds lodged in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, both headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, and other civilian agencies, she stressed that these are not the only issues hounding the "highly controversial" 2024 budget.
 
"Mr. Speaker, this national budget ensures funds for violence, kickbacks in infrastructure projects, standby pork and debt repayment. Meanwhile, the allocation for direct social services and assistance programs for Filipinos has been completely cut despite the rising prices of food, utilities and basic services," Brosas said.
 
She added that despite the huge expenditure, the budget bills failed to address the pressing problems of the country such as food security and subsidy to rice farmers.

The proposed national budget for next year is P500 billion higher than this year's P5.268-trillion spending program.

"There appears to be no change in the National Food Authority's budget for its Buffer Stocking Program. Meanwhile, billions of unprogrammed funds next year are essentially the President's standby pork barrel, including the Support for Infrastructure Program and Social Program which is a common fund for corruption," she said.

She also slammed the budget allocated for services and economic recovery, which she deemed deficit in the face of low wages, rising prices of goods and services, high inflation, unemployment and the overall economic situation.

"The budget for war infrastructure, corruption and debt repayment was inflated," Brosas said.

In the same vein, Castro lamented that the nature of the national budget remained lacking in food, jobs and services for the people while the budget for corruption, foreign interest and debt repayment further grew. 

She also reiterated the call to abolish the confidential funds, which the Makabayan bloc petitioned the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional. 

The Marcos administration's proposed P5.768 trillion budget for next year is the highest in history approved by Congress.