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Senate begins 2023 budget deliberation: Sen. Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, defends the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 Wednesday, November 9, 2022. The Senate is expected to approve on final reading House Bill No. 4488 or the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) by November 21. Angara said the proposed budget is aligned with the President’s 8-point socioeconomic agenda and supports the major priorities of the Marcos administration. He cited as an example the subsidies and aid for education assistance, fuel subsidies in the face of rising inflation, livelihood and emergency employment programs, medical assistance for indigents, among others. “These budget interventions would also work towards addressing the 8-point socioeconomic agenda which is to reduce vulnerability and mitigate the scarring of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also interventions in the budget to make us more resilient over time. Basic here is how we fund the budget and keep our collections solid. We have to equip our revenue collecting agencies because they are the bedrock of our spending,” Angara said. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)