The House of Representatives on Monday passed on third and final reading a bill extending the availability of this year’s national budget until the end of 2021 to boost government efforts to stimulate the economy.
House Bill No. 6656 amended Republic Act No. 11465, or the 2020 General Appropriations Act, which expires at the end of the year.
“All appropriations authorized in this act shall be available for release and obligation for the purpose specified, and under the name special provisions applicable thereto, until Dec. 31, 2021,” part of the bill read.
President Duterte earlier certified as urgent bills that would allow the government to continue releasing funds up to next year for projects and programs under the 2020 national budget and Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.
This meant that Congress would not need to observe the three-day rule between the approval on second and third reading.
Proponents of the extension said it would support government efforts to boost the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, the House appropriations panel approved a consolidated bill extending the validity of COVID-19 appropriations under the Bayanihan 2 law to June 30, 2021.
The substitute measure consolidated five measures that all sought to extend the validity of funding under the law to deal with the pandemic—House Bill Nos. 7957, 7979, 8014, 8063 and 8099 filed by Representatives Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, Joy Myra Tambunting, Ramon Guico III, Luisa Lloren Cuaresma, Joseph Lara, Paolo Duterte, Sharon Garin, Weslie Gatchalian, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, and House appropriations committee chair Eric Go Yap.
The consolidated bill, however, would not extend the President’s power to realign items in the national budget. His authority to reallocate items in this year’s budget to fund pandemic response measures would still expire on Dec.19, or when the Bayanihan 2 law would expire with the adjournment of Congress. INQ