Proposed 2022 budget bill certified as urgent by Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte/RICHARD MADELO, PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines —  The proposed bill containing the 2022 national budget, which Congress is deliberating, has been certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a message from Duterte read during the House of Representatives plenary session on Wednesday night, Duterte said that the budget is a necessary piece of legislation that would allow the government to perform its constitutional mandate.

“Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Article 6 Section 26 paragraph 2 of the 1987 Constitution, I hereby certify to the immediate enactment of House Bill No. 10153 entitled An Act Appropriating Funds for the Operation of the Government of the Philippines from January 1 to December 31, 2022,” the letter from Duterte read.

“[…] in order to address the need to maintain continuous government operation following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects and activities for fiscal year 2022, and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its constitutional mandate,” Duterte added.

With the certification, Congress can now tackle the measure quickly, removing the requirement that the bill be passed on three separate days — giving the House the ability to pass it before the session is adjourned on October 1, Friday.