Palace to certify supplemental budget bill urgent

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma (Photo from https://pcoo.gov.ph/)

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang is ready to certify as urgent a bill seeking P14.5 billion  as supplemental  budget   for the rehabilitation of areas affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan).

Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, said that such action and amount would depend on how both houses of Congress would treat the bill.

“We have always emphasized that we are prepared to do what is needed,” Coloma said in the statement. “It will depend on the Congress’ processes.”

He said that treating the bill as an urgent matter will come in if the number of regular session days in the legislation is limited and a bill has to be passed on the second and third reading of a single day.

The secretary added that the matter of whether President Benigno Aquino would certify the measure as urgent depends on the action of Congress, which will go on a Christmas break starting December 21 until January 19 next year.

“The President is ready to do what is needed. For now the ball is in the Congress’ side of the court,” Coloma said.

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