Marcos certifies as urgent proposed 2024 budget

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has certified as urgent the passage of the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024.

Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed this in a text message to reporters.

In a letter addressed to Speaker Martin Romualdez dated Sept. 20, 2023, Marcos called for the immediate enactment of House Bill 8980 or the 2024 General Appropriations Bill.

The spending measure must be immediately enacted to «address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects, and activities for 2024, and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its Constitutional mandate,» the President said.

This certification from the President allows the approval of a bill on the second and third reading on the same day.

The proposed national budget for next year is 9.5 percent higher compared to this year's P5.268 trillion.

Anchored on the theme, «Agenda for Prosperity: Securing a Future-Proof and Sustainable Economy,» Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman earlier said the proposed national budget is framed based on the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and will continue to support the goals of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 of securing a future proof and sustainable vibrant economy.

Along with the agenda for prosperity, the proposed budget aims to expedite the recovery of the nation in a post-pandemic era, and transition the country towards a promising future of an inclusive and sustainable economy wherein «no Filipino is left behind,» she said.

«It is the administration's fervent hope that this budget will continue to lay the groundwork for future-proofing