00:00 The Department of Budget and Management has officially presented the 2024 National Expenditure Program to the lower house.
00:07 The NEP will be the foundation of the forthcoming year's national budget deliberations
00:12 led by the Department of Budget and Management Secretary, Amena Pangandaman, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
00:19 Mirela Suarez has the full story.
00:25 The House of Representatives led by Speaker Martin Romualdez received today the proposed National Expenditure Program for Fiscal Year 2024
00:34 from the Department of Budget and Management headed by Secretary Amena Pangandaman.
00:39 During the turnover ceremony, both Speaker Romualdez and Secretary Pangandaman assured transparency and openness in the scrutiny of the 2024 NEP,
00:48 which shall serve as the basis for the General Appropriations Bill.
00:53 It is the administration's fervent hope that this budget will continue to lay the groundwork for future-proofing the economy
01:02 and making the country's growth inclusive and sustainable.
01:06 With everyone's participation and cooperation, I am confident that the House of Representatives will be able to scrutinize, deliberate, and pass a national budget
01:15 that is pork-barrel-free for 2024 before we go on our first recess in October.
01:22 The proposed 2024 budget amounts to Php 5.678 trillion, which is 9.5% higher compared to this year's appropriations and corresponds to 21.7% of the country's gross domestic product.
01:36 As mandated by the Constitution, the education sector once again has been given the highest budget priority in the proposal,
01:43 followed by public works, health, interior and local government, and defense.
01:47 Also included among the priority sectors in the 2024 NEP are transportation, social welfare, agriculture, judiciary, and labor and employment.
01:57 Speaker Romualdez vowed to swiftly pass the 2024 budget, but only after careful scrutiny.
02:03 We will deliberate on the budget in a very transparent manner and get the widest consensus for our spending plan.
02:12 Fellow legislators, this is the work before us. Let us get to work.
02:16 But how much has been allocated for intel and confidential funds?
02:20 And how will the government assure that they will be free from any anomalies?
02:24 The DBM has this to say.
02:26 For 2024, the confidential fund, this is across all agencies, sir, Php 4.3 billion, and the intel fund is Php 4.9 billion.
02:38 There are guidelines from COA on how to use the funds.
02:46 It's not a budget that is like a gift, they can actually disburse it and use it.
02:52 There are also documents that are submitted to COA, and there are breakdowns as well.
03:01 Melanies Moras for Donation.
03:03 Nation.
