House starts plenary debates on 2020 national budget
Updated @ 11:45 p.m., Sept. 10, 2019
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives began on Tuesday afternoon the two-week plenary debates on the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020.
Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, appropriations panel chair, introduced and sponsored to the plenary the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB, House Bill No. 4228), which becomes the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget, once enacted into law.
He said the GAB was a “faithful replication” of the National Expenditure plan which the Department of Budget and Management submitted to Congress last Aug. 20.
Approved during the first day of the plenary debates were the general principles and provisions of the GAB, and the budget of the Department of Finance and its attached agencies (P17.294 billion), Legislative-Economic Development Advisory Council (P3.918 million), and the National Economic and Development Agency (P9.421 billion).
The budget of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (P881.25 million) and the National Security Council (P348.65 million) were tackled but the approval was deferred.
Article continues after this advertisementThe P4.1 trillion expenditure plan for next year is 12.0 percent or P438 billion higher than the 2019 budget of P3.662 trillion. The social services sector will also receive the largest share with P1.525 trillion or 37.2 percent of the total 2020 budget.
Article continues after this advertisementNext year’s expenditure plan is 12.0%, or P438 billion, higher than the 2019 budget of P3.662 trillion. The social services sector will also receive the largest share with P1.525 trillion, or 37.2%, of the total 2020 budget.
The economic services sector will receive the second largest share at 28.9 percent with P1.184 trillion allocation, followed by the general public services sector with P734.5 billion or 17.9 percent, the defense sector with P195.6 billion, or 4.8%, and debt burden which was allotted P461 billion or 11.2 percent of the total budget.
In his sponsorship speech, Ungab called on other House members to support the early passage of the “People’s Budget” without sacrificing the “objective scrutiny of all its provisions.”
“We should not forget that while it is expected of each of us to assert the needs of our respective congressional districts and party-list organizations, we are also expected, as leaders of our country, to see things in the broader national perspective, he added.
READ: 2020 budget ‘pork-less,’ House leaders assure
Speaker Alan Cayetano said the Monday to Friday plenary debates would start from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., or even later if needed. The debates are expected to end on Sept. 20.
The chamber hopes to pass the expenditure plan on final reading by October 4 to prevent a repeat of the delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget caused by legislators fighting over kickback-laden pork barrel funds.
READ: 2020 budget ‘pork-less,’ House leaders assure
Earlier, members of the opposition Makabayan bloc have questioned the brief period allotted to scrutinize the national budget.
Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said billions of pesos earmarked for intelligence and confidential funds of the Office of the President (OP) — P4.5 billion or almost double the 2019 level — is a glaring example of pork. House leaders defended the OP budget against the claim.
READ: DBM submits P4.1-T 2020 budget plan to House, bares spending priorities
Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader Deputy and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said the P388 billion “war budget” of the administration “would be of better use” if allocated for programs “addressing the social ills that incite armed conflict” such as free land distribution, a living wage, and national industrialization. /je /atm
