Office of the Department of Budget and Management (File photo)

CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) -- The proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023, the first full-year budget plan of the Marcos administration is now ready for submission on Monday, Aug. 22.

The 2023 national budget is scheduled to be submitted to Congress next week, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

"Right now, it's already being printed just in time before the President's submission to Congress by Monday," said Budget Undersecretary Joselito Basilio at the 2022 Economic Journalists of the Philippines-San Miguel Corp. (EJAP-SMC) Economic Forum at Ayuntamiento de Manila, Intramuros.

"Everything is on time. Things have been polished already," Basilio said.

In a pre-recorded video message, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that the DBM has been busy adjusting the country's budget in line with the priorities of the Marcos administration.

The Palace first announced in July that the budget department will submit the 2023 national budget documents to the 19th Congress on August 22.

The DBM also said that the administration's budget priorities include education, health, social safety nets, infrastructure and agriculture.

The plan to submit the 2023 budget to the House is in accordance with the timeline stated in the 1987 Constitution.

According to the constitution, the budget must be submitted 30 days from the opening of the regular session of the Chamber.

The 19th Congress opened on July 25, the first day of the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

This means that until August 24, the DBM can submit the proposed budget for 2023 to the legislators. (PIA-NCR)