House of Representatives. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is planning to approve the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 before the session break, as it starts plenary deliberations on September 19.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the lower chamber will extend its work weeks to meet the budget passage date and would send the appropriations bill to the Senate upon approval.
“We will work morning and afternoon and on Thursday and Friday this week to meet our timeline. The national spending bill is the single most important piece of legislation Congress passes every year,” Romualdez said in a statement on Sunday.
Based on the chamber’s schedule, Romualdez said “sponsorship speeches, debates on general principles and provisions, and consideration of the budgets of the Department of Finance, Department of Tourism, and National Economic and Development Authority, including their attached agencies, and certain offices under the Office of the President (OP)” will start on Tuesday.
Below are other government agencies and their respective plenary debate schedule:
September 20
- Office of the Ombudsman
- Commission on Elections
- Commission on Human Rights
- Department of National Defense
- Department of Science and Technology
- Department of Trade and Industry
- Other OP agencies
September 21
- Department of Justice
- Department of Agrarian Reform
- Presidential Communications Office
- Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development
- State universities and colleges
September 22
- Congress
- Department of Social Welfare and Development
- Department of Information and Communications Technology
- Department of Migrant Workers
- Department of Labor and Employment
- Department of the Interior and Local Government, including its attached agencies, and funding support for several government corporations
September 25
- Civil Service Commission
- Commission on Audit
- Department of Energy
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Health
- Additional OP agencies to be considered
September 26
- OP
- Office of the Vice President
- Department of Education
- Metro Manila Development Authority
- Dangerous Drugs Board and several other OP agencies
- Department of Public Works and Highways
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources
According to Romualdez September 27 will be the last day for budget deliberation. However, the lower chamber can hold a session until September 29 — taking up funding proposals for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Transportation, Department of Budget and Management, and lump-sum appropriations.
“Turno en contra speeches and amendments are also scheduled on that day, to be followed by final and third-reading approval of the proposed 2024 national budget,” the statement said.