Senate starts deliberations on P5.024 trillion budget

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will start today its marathon plenary deliberations on the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget that senators vowed to recast to make it more responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of reducing infections and reviving the economy.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said starting Thursday, sessions will be held in the morning and in the afternoon to ensure the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is passed before Congress adjourns session on Dec. 17.

He said ideally, the Senate approves its version of the GAB early next month to allow more time for the expected meeting of the bicameral conference committee – a smaller body composed of representatives of both chambers of Congress – to reconcile conflicting provisions of their versions of the money measure.

Sen. Sonny Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee, is expected to sponsor on the floor today the proposed budget that already includes many amendments that were mostly on pandemic response.

“Many of the committee report amendments are still about our COVID response and health related interventions: salaries, benefits and allowances of health workers; added funds for booster vaccines, testing, tracing; improving health facilities and funding of medical scholarship law,” Angara told reporters.

He said the recommended amendments of other senators were on helping economic sectors battered by the pandemic and assisting the school system adjust to the resumption of face-to-face classes, among others.

He said 2022 National Expenditure Program submitted by Malacañang to Congress last August did not include several key items related to the country’s response to the pandemic.

Once the bicameral committee comes up with the reconciled and final version, the bill goes to printing, then lands on the desk of President Duterte for his signature to be enacted into law.