MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will start on Wednesday plenary deliberations on the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021 ahead of the official resumption of session of Congress, with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact as the center of discussions.
Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, is scheduled to sponsor the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), the chamber’s amended version of the 2021 National Expenditure Program that Malacañang submitted to Congress in August.
Under this year’s legislative calendar, Congress is supposed to be on break from Oct. 17 to Nov. 15, but instead the Senate and the House of Representatives suspended session to ensure that Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act remains in force.
RA 11494 is a special law with limited duration that allows President Duterte to realign funds to address the pandemic.
While the House is not expected to hold plenary sessions this week after turning over its version of the GAB late last month to the Senate, the latter chamber will hold sessions to allow them more time to deliberate and pass the budget.
Angara said the Senate has made some P50 billion worth of amendments to the NEP that were mostly aimed at funding programs to address the pandemic and its effects on various sectors.
“While our (COVID-19) figures seem to be improving every day… we’re still in the middle of the health crisis, the President’s proclamation of an emergency is still there, it’s good for one year, and as long as there’s no vaccine, the state of emergency won’t be lifted,” the senator told dzBB.
Without going into details, he said the proposed budget would also fund initiatives to improve the educational system under a new normal where face-to-face learning remains suspended.
The proposed spending measure also seeks to improve the country’s information and communications system as more and more sectors and activities are going online, he said.
Angara said the Senate will also increase the calamity fund from P16 billion to P21 billion next year while public school teachers’ allowance is also expected to be hiked.