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Pimentel scrutinizes bicam report on GAA 2023: Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III seeks clarification from Finance Committee Chairperson Sonny Angara about adjustments on the budget of several departments included in the bicameral conference committee report on the General Appropriations Act of 2023. According to Pimentel, there are some departments that incur budget “swings” or ended up having either bigger or smaller budgets in the bicameral conference report compared to the version of the Senate that was approved on the second and third readings. “How did this happen for these departments? Did we change our mind that they are no longer a priority?" Pimentel asked Monday, December 5, 2022. In response, Angara said the difference between the National Expenditure Program and General Appropriations Bill versions and the bicam report was usually due to the transfer of one program from the programmed to the unprogrammed appropriation. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)