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The Senate, with 22 legislators who voted affirmatively, without opposition or abstention, approved the third and final reading of the House Bill 7727 or the proposed national budget of P4.506 billion for 2021 during the plenary session. hybrid Thursday.
Of the 24 senators, only Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19), and opposition senator Leila de Lima, who is currently detained in the detention center of the PNP at Camp Crame, were unable to vote on the budget measure, which was certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte to secure approval before the end of the year.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, chair of the finance committee, thanked the leadership and his colleagues in the Senate for being able to analyze the budget bill and meet the timeline for its timely enactment despite serious challenges, including typhoons. , floods, power outages, connectivity problems and the pandemic.
Angara also acknowledged the amendments made by her colleagues to the budget bill, which will strengthen, among other things, the response to Covid-19, provide assistance to victims of calamities and resurrect the economy.
The Senate has also allocated funds under the Department of the Interior and Local Government for its contact tracing program to support the Congressional initiative under the Bayanihan 2 Act.
Angara said senators also pushed for increased funding for the Tropical Medicine Research Institute for its quality assurance program and the establishment of more Covid-19 laboratories, as well as increased budgets for regional hospitals in the Department of Health to improve the health care system amid the global pandemic.
There were also increases in proposed appropriations for the agriculture, energy, tourism, labor, commerce, transportation and infrastructure sectors to boost the government’s recovery programs.
Amendments were also made to the draft budgets of the Philippine National Police and the judiciary.
The education, arts and culture, and sports sectors also continued to receive support from lawmakers as the country grapples with the pandemic.
Senator Emmanuel Joel Villanueva congratulated Angara and his colleagues for their efforts to pass the proposed P4.506 trillion national budget for 2021.
Select members of the Senate and House will soon meet as the bicameral conference committee to reconcile the different or contradictory provisions in their versions of the General Appropriation Bill to arrive at a consolidated version of the measure.
‘Timely passage’
President Lord Allan Velasco welcomed the “timely approval” by the Senate of the 2021 national budget.
Velasco said the House had formed a 21-member contingent for the bicameral conference committee to finalize the country’s spending measure and reconcile the disagreeing provisions of the two houses.
They are the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Eric Yap, and his vice-chairs, the vice-chairs Salvador “Doy” Leachon and Mikee Romero.
The contingent is also made up of 16 majority members: Vice Presidents Loren Legarda, Roberto Puno, José “Lito” Atienza; Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez; Majority Deputy Director Bernadette Herrera; Assistant Majority Leader Kristine Singson-Meehan; and the representative of Pampanga Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc, the representative of Rizal Michael John Duavit, the representative of Romblon Eleandro Jesus Madrona, the representative of Negros Occidental Francisco Benitez, the representative of Sulu Munir Arbison, the representative of Batangas Eileen Ermita- Buhain, the representative of Valenzuela Eric Martínez, the representative of Abra Joseph Bernos, the representative of Albay, José María “Joey” Salceda, and the representative of the city of Valenzuela, Weslie Gatchalian.
Minority leader Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano and independent lawmaker Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman are also part of the contingent.
Once ratified by both chambers, the registered copy will be sent to the Palace where the President may veto all or part of the budget.
With reports from DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ
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