Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 14) — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. will veto some provisions in the 2023 proposed national budget, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
“I think we only have two vetoes, two to three direct vetoes, and all the rest are just conditional and general observations,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.
The DBM chief also noted that there was a “roughly ₱70 billion” budget that was realigned to boost funding for the administration’s priorities, including education, social services and medical assistance.
On the controversial confidential funds, Pangandaman said that while they were removed from the Senate, the allocations were restored during the bicameral committee.
“During the ratification it was restored and all of these were in the NEP (National Expenditure Program) already,” she said.
READ: Congress ratifies ₱5.268-T nat’l budget for 2023
Opposition Senators Koko Pimentel and Risa Hontiveros sought to block the allocation of confidential and intelligence funds to some agencies, including the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.
