House transmits proposed 2022 budget to Senate — Rep. Yap

The plenary hall of the House of Representatives in Batasan, Quezon City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has transmitted to the Senate the proposed 2022 national budget, House appropriations panel chair Rep. Eric Yap said Wednesday.

In a letter addressed to Senate President Vicente Sotto III and shared to the media Wednesday, House Bill No. 10153 or the 2022 General Appropriations Bill was transmitted to the upper chamber on October 25, two days earlier than the lower chamber’s initial target.

The transmission letter was signed by House Secretary-General Mark Llandro Mendoza.

Under the proposed 2022 national expenditure plan, the education sector has the highest budget with P773.6 billion. This covers the Department of Education (DepEd), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Following the House approval of the P5.024-trillion proposed budget for 2022, a small committee composed of lawmakers from the majority, minority, and independent bloc in the lower chamber introduced amendments to the 2022 General Appropriations Bill.

This includes an additional P20 billion, which is lodged under the Department of Health (DOH) for the procurement of vaccines and booster shots.

Also under the DOH is a P4.5 billion budget for the SRA of qualified public and private health workers.

“Our commitment remains the same: to provide the enabling mechanisms for a responsive and dynamic governance and to strengthen the capabilities of the government in addressing the effects of the pandemic,” Yap said.

JPV