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MANILA, Philippines–The House of Representatives is expected to pass on second reading the proposed P2.606 trillion national budget for 2015 by 12 midnight, the majority leader said on Friday.
Mandaluyong Representative Neptali Gonzales II said at the rate of their budget debates on the floor, the chamber would be able to pass the 2015 budget bill by midnight.
He said the floor did not tackle the individual lawmakers’ amendments to the bill, and as traditionally done, it would create a committee to go over the amendments.
Amendments may also be introduced in the bicameral conference, when both houses of Congress will meet to consolidate the bill for third reading approval, Gonzales said.
The budget process starts in the House of Representatives, which scrutinizes the proposed budget submitted by the Department of Budget and Management.
After the lower Congress approves the budget bill, it is transmitted to the Senate for its own deliberations.
After both chambers finish their versions of the bill, the House of Representatives and Senate will meet as a bicameral conference committee to thresh out the differences between the two versions of the budget bill.
After the bicameral approval, the budget bill will then be approved in both Houses of Congress.
Gonzales said next year’s budget, like this year, was rid of the congressional pork Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) after the political patronage tool was scrapped as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court at the height of the pork barrel scam scandal.
The high tribunal prohibited the post-enactment identification in the budget, which means lawmakers may no longer propose projects after the budget approval by sourcing these projects from the non-itemized lump sum funds,
The investigation over the scam resulted in the detention for plunder of three senators, their aides, and Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the elaborate scheme of funneling lawmakers’ pork barrel funds to fake foundations.
“When I first became a congressman, it is only this thick. Ngayon, apat o anim na libro na because of the requirement na kailangan talaga naka-line item,” Gonzales said.
He said the appropriations committee may still meet during the Congress break from September 27 to October 19 to consider the amendments.
“Actually, ang pag-approve ng budget, you conditionally approve it on second reading subject to amendments,” Gonzales said.
The chamber targets to pass the bill on final reading by October 27 or 28, Gonzales said.
The proposed 2015 budget is 15.1 percent higher than the P2.265 trillion 2014 budget.
According to sectors, social services will receive the lion’s share at P967.852 billion or 37.14 percent of the total budget, followed by economic services at P700.198 billion or 26.87 percent share, general public services at P423.057 billion or 16.23 percent share, debt burden at P399.363 billion or 15.33 percent share, and defense at P115.530 billion or 4.43 percent share.
Meanwhile, by agencies, the Department of Education will receive the highest budget at P365 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways at P300.5 billion, Department of National Defense at P144 billion, Department of the Interior and Local Government at P141.1 billion, Department of Social Welfare and Development at P109 billion, Department of Health at P102.2 billion, Department of Agriculture at P88.8 billion, Department of Transportation and Communications at P59.5 billion, Department of Environment and Natural Resources at P21.3 billion, and the judiciary at P20.3 billion.
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