Malacañang proposes P9-billion budget for Marcos’ office in 2023

Malacañang has asked Congress for a P9-billion budget for 2023, including a proposed P4.5 billion for confidential and intelligence funds.

As stated in the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation on Monday, the Office of the President (OP) proposed a P9,031,722,000 budget to sustain its operation for next year.

In fiscal year 2022, the office of then President Rodrigo Duterte was appropriated P8.23 billion budget for its expenses.

Duterte received P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds.

The proposed amount for Marcos' office includes P62.7 million in retirement and life insurance premiums of employees.

The bulk of the budget will go to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (P6.87 billion), while Personal Services will have P1.56 billion and Capital Outlay will get P590 million.

For confidential expenses, Malacañang is proposing P2.25 billion and another P2.25 billion for intelligence fund.

The NEP states that intelligence expenses are those related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel as well as intelligence practitioners that have direct impact to national security.

Confidential expenses refer to those related to surveillance activities in civilian government agencies that are intended to support the mandate or operations of the agency.

On Monday, the Department of Budget and Management submitted to the House the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023.

The education sector, composed of the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and state universities and colleges, remains the highest budgetary priority as mandated by the Constitution. The DBM said the sector would receive an 8.2% increase at P852.8 billion.

Infrastructure programs have been allotted a total of P1.196 trillion, seen to spur economic recovery following the pandemic-induced slump.—LDF, GMA News