Speaker 1: you The briefing on the proposed budget of the Office of the President is now called to order. Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge the presence of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. Good morning, sir. And of course, the OP team. And for orderly procedure, we will first ask the Office of the President to present their budget after which we'll open the floor for questions, beginning of course with the leadership and then in order of arrival, may I ask the committee secretary to please read the names of our resource persons present.

Speaker 2: Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Your Honors and to all our guests. Allow me to introduce our resource persons present in today's budget briefing. From the Office of the President, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, Deputy Executive Secretary Annalisa G. Logan, Deputy Executive Secretary Amante A. Liberato, Deputy Executive Secretary Alexander Flores, Undersecretary Al-Azri Muhammad Sali, Assistant Executive Secretary Cynthia A. Vergara, Assistant Executive Secretary Neil Vincent Bainto, Assistant Secretary Gabriel Lorenzo Ignacio, and Executive Director Ernesto C. Torres, Jr. We also have representatives from the Commission on Audit, Supervising Auditor Joey I. Bernardino, and from the DBM, Acting Director Dulu Vispo. That is all, Your Honor. Thank you.

Speaker 1: Thank you. May we ask now the OP to do their presentation? Should you have any?

Speaker 3: May I read an opening statement?

Speaker 1: Yes, of course, Executive Secretary. Go ahead, please.

Speaker 3: Madam Chair and the Honorable Members of this Committee, The Office of the President is privileged to present, explain, and seek your support for our proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. than the need to comply with the legal requirement to present our proposed budget before a co-equal branch upon which the power to appropriate is conferred by the Constitution. Our presence here manifests the President's commitment to work closely with the Senate in upholding our mutual objective of promoting the welfare of our people and the country's national interests. Honours, the President values the cooperation between our branches in the fulfilment of our Common Goal of Development. Thus, the Office of the President will fully cooperate with the Congress in its exercise of its constitutional mandate as the Keeper of the Purse. For Fiscal Year 2025, the Office of the President requests a budget of P10,506,201,000 to perform its mandate for the people, while this amount is 1.88% lower than the budget of the Office of the President in Fiscal Year 2024 and represents a mere one-ninth of one percent of the proposed total national budget for fiscal year 2025, we believe that the amount will be enough for the President to meet the exacting demands of being the Head of State and of Government, the Chief Architect of Philippine Foreign Policy, and the Commander-in-Chief. Despite the reduction in the budget being proposed, rest assured, Your Honors, that The same will not affect the delivery of services of the President to our people. The Presidential activities that are geared towards the provision of effective and efficient services, as well as the provision of responsive executive policy directions on matters affecting the development of the country, domestically and internationally, will still be constant and regular. of the need to fulfill the President's constitutional mandate with less financial requirement in support of the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance, these presidential activities will, however, be conducted and held prudently and economically. The budget adjustment will still be able to sufficiently accommodate the logistical requirements of honoring invitations from foreign leaders to visit their countries as well as to carry out diplomatic initiatives which would yield job-creating investments that will hasten support to our post-pandemic economic recovery. The budget proposal will also sufficiently support the implementation of necessary infrastructure works within the palace complex that have stalled due to the pandemic in furtherance of the Build Better More priority program of the President, as well as to safeguard the overall security of all those who work hard for the attainment of the objectives of the Presidency, taking into consideration the Philippine Green Building Code, the Fire Code of the Philippines, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, and the Protection of Heritage and Cultural Buildings. These projects are all implementation-ready and shall be completed within the fiscal year in accordance with the cash-based budgeting policy. Your Honors, before we present the charts that explain our proposed budget in detail, Let me just point out that as in the previous years, we crafted this budget within the parameters and process set by the Department of Budget and Management. Thank you, Your Honors.

Speaker 1: Thank you, Executive Secretary. I note that actually there is a decrease in the budget of the Office of the President And there are certain, actually some changes, there are positions that were created, a lower budget for travel utilization, et cetera. Are there any questions from the?

Speaker 4: Can I just give an opening statement, Madam Chair? Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Madam Chair, and to all our colleagues in the Committee on Finance, we would like to inform the officials, we would like to welcome the officials and the employees of the Office of the President, especially our one of the brilliant minds in Malacanang, Secretary Lucas Bersamin. The 2025 budget that will be allocated to the Office of the President is very crucial because this represents midterm budget that will help the president to effectively continue the programs that his administration has initiated. Halfway towards the culmination of his term, the president should be provided with budgets that will enable us to achieve our goals, particularly those asserted in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028. Maraming mga gandang programa ang simula ng ating pangulo para sa pagpaponlad ng ating economy, agriculture, health, well-being and education. We can see the benefits it brings to our countrymen, especially those who need it the most. It is only right to continue the vigorous implementation of this and the continuous coordination of various government activities. All of this is due to our President's responsibility I move that we terminate the briefing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the President and that it be deemed submitted to plenary. I so move, Madam Chair.

Speaker 1: Madam Chair, I second the motion of our Senate pro tem. Before we close the budget, I would just like to acknowledge and thank also the OP. There are certain agencies under them like the PAOCC that has actually helped in the anti-crime initiatives, particularly with the POGO issue. And also now that the creation of the president has created the new presidential office for child protection. And I think it's high time for that. And I'm very, many of us are very grateful to protect our children, the most vulnerable in society. So thank you to the Office of the President and also to our Executive Secretary. And with that, I move that the budget of the Office of the President be deemed submitted. This briefing is now suspended.

Speaker 3: Thank you. you