By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA — The proposed national budget undergoes multiple layers of scrutiny, legislative deliberations and constitutional checks and balances before it becomes a law, Budget Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said Friday.
During the latest episode of A.S.K. — Alamin Kay Sec. Kim, De Leon explained the roles of the Executive Branch, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) in the budget approval process.
“Kapag pera ng taumbayan ang pinag-uusapan, hindi masamang maraming nagtatanong. Mas nakakatakot kung walang nagtatanong (When public funds are involved, it is not bad for people to ask questions. It is more concerning when no one questions),” he said.
De Leon said the process begins with the National Expenditure Program (NEP), which is prepared by the Executive Branch and submitted to Congress as the government’s proposed spending plan.
“Ang NEP ay proposal. Hindi pa ito batas (The NEP is a proposal. It is not yet a law),” he said.
He added the proposed budget undergoes committee hearings and plenary deliberations in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers examine proposed allocations, assess project readiness, and scrutinize government spending priorities.
The proposed budget then undergoes a separate review in the Senate, with the Senate Committee in Finance leading the examination of agencies’ funding requirements.
De Leon said the reviews conducted by both the Senate and the House of Representatives are essential features of the country’s bicameral legislative system, allowing lawmakers to examine proposed expenditures and recommend adjustments within constitutional and legal limits.
He also clarified that Congress may propose reductions, reallocations, and other amendments, but cannot increase the appropriations recommended by the President for government operations beyond the constitutional ceiling.
The committee works toward a single version of the proposed budget, which must be ratified by the House and Senate before being transmitted to the President.
He said the DBM and other agencies under the executive branch are not members of the bicameral conference committee, which is responsible for reconciling the two chambers’ versions of the proposed spending measure.
While the DBM prepares the NEP and explains funding requirements during congressional hearings, the reconciliation of the House and Senate versions is undertaken by Congress through the bicameral conference committee.
This process, De Leon said, helps explain why some allocations in the enacted national budget may differ from those originally proposed in the NEP.
Once both chambers ratify the reconciled GAB, the enrolled bill is transmitted to the President for constitutional action.
The President may sign the measure into law as the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or exercise the veto powers provided under the Constitution.
De Leon said understanding the national budget requires examining the entire process, from the preparation of the Executive’s spending proposal, to congressional scrutiny, legislative approval and eventual enactment.
He said the various stages of budget legislation help ensure that government spending proposals undergo examination, debate and accountability before public funds are allocated.
“Dahil sa national budget, hindi lang mahalaga kung magkano ang gagastusin. Mahalaga rin kung sino ang nagpanukala, sino ang nagsuri, sino ang nag-apruba, at kanino sila mananagot (With the national budget, what matters is not only how much will be spent. It is also important to know who proposed it, who scrutinized it, who approved it, and to whom they are accountable),” De Leon added. (PNA)
