2022 nat’l budget is top priority of House, says Romualdez

House of Representatives. INQUIRER file photo / Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — The 2022 national budget will be the top priority of the House of Representatives once the third regular session of Congress opens next month, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said Thursday.

Romualdez said as soon as the House resumes session on July 26, the lower chamber will prioritize measures pushing for economic recovery and seeking to provide assistance to Filipinos amid the persistent pandemic.

“Budget talaga, number 1,” Romualdez said in an online interview when asked about the lower chamber’s priority bills.

The annual national budget is drafted and proposed by the executive department and first tackled and approved in the House before it is transmitted to the Senate for further deliberations. Once both the Senate and the House have approved the government spending plan, a bicameral conference committee shall finalize the proposal.

Both the Senate and the House will then ratify the budget approved by the bicameral conference committee before it can be sent to the Office of the President for the president’s signature.

Meanwhile, Romualdez said the push for the proposed Bayanihan 3 remains even as the House already approved the measure on final reading.

Romualdez said he and Speaker Lord Allan Velasco met with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez on Wednesday to tackle funding for the measure that seeks to provide, among others, a P2,000 cash aid for all Filipinos, regardless of social status.

“We still have the Bayanihan 3, the Speaker and I were able to consult with the Secretary of Finance and we’re still hopeful that we can move,” Romualdez said.

READ: Bayanihan 3 gets House nod

Bayanihan 3, or formally known as Bayanihan To Arise As One Act, which is principally authored by Velasco, aims to provide funds amounting to P401 billion.

KGA