Senate opens plenary debates on P4.5T national budget for 2021

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Wednesday started its plenary deliberations on the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.

Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Senate finance committee, sponsored House Bill No. 7727 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) Tuesday afternoon.

The floor debates officially opened with Angara sponsoring the general principles and provisions of the spending measure.

He will also be sponsoring the proposed budget of the Department of Budget and Management as well as the Department of Finance and its attached agencies.

The budget of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will also be tackled during Wednesday’s deliberations.

Angara earlier said funding for the government’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response and recovery interventions are spread throughout various agencies.

“Unfortunately, as there is no manual on how to defeat this virus, there is also no playbook on how to do pandemic budgeting that we can pull off the shelf,” the senator said when he sponsored the budget bill on Tuesday.

“Even when resources are few, demand is great, and the stakes have never been higher, we can craft and enact on time a national budget that in the midst of the pandemic will heal the sick, help the affected, and most importantly, fund the hopes of a people whose obedience to government rules, from mask-wearing to the longest lockdown, remains unparalleled in the world,” he added.

Budget deliberations on the Senate floor are expected to last until November 18.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III previously said President Rodrigo Duterte may be able to sign the budget before Christmas.

In October, the passage of the budget faced the fear of delays amid a speakership row at the House of Representatives.

After convening for a special session to pass the budget measure on final reading, the House was able to transmit the spending bill to the Senate last October 27.

/MUF