MAJO MARCOS ASSURES UNINTERRUPTED HOUSE BUDGET WORK DESPITE VP SARA TRIAL

House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos gave the assurance Monday as the chamber prepared to receive the National Expenditure Program (NEP) sand begin hearings on the government’s spending priorities for next year.

“Wala naman ‘yung impeachment sa Lower House. We will continue doing our job,” Marcos stressed in an ambush interview.

With the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte confined to the Senate, Marcos maintained that the House can devote its full attention to the budget and its remaining legislative responsibilities.

“So to answer your question, I don’t think it will affect, at least I can only speak on behalf of the Lower House. It will not affect what we have to do and what needs to be done,” Marcos emphasized.

Under the annual budget process, the Executive submits the NEP to Congress as the basis for the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), after which the House Committee on Appropriations reviews the government’s fiscal assumptions and proposed allocations before conducting agency-level hearings.

“As you know, the budget is the single most important piece of legislation for both the House and the Senate,” Marcos noted.

The majority leader expects the Marcos administration to transmit the spending proposal in August, allowing the House to immediately begin its detailed examination of agency programs and expenditures.

“You are right, now we are expecting the NEP to be turned over sometime next month, hopefully not too late, but hopefully the NEP turnover will be sometime in August. Then we can proceed with the budget briefings,” Marcos explained.

Marcos also committed to preserving reforms introduced during the previous budget cycle to give civil society groups a greater role in reviewing how public funds are allocated.

“With regards to the changes that you spoke about, I think marami namang ginawa ang Appro para manigurado that the budget process is much more transparent. We will make sure that different civic groups are involved in the shaping, and the analysis of the budget,” Marcos pointed out.