Malacanang on Saturday thanked the House of Representatives for passing the proposed P3.002 trillion national budget for 2016.
READ: House OKs P3-trillion nat’l budget for 2016
“Nagpapasalamat po tayo doon sa ating mga kasamahan sa Camara de Representantes, siyempre, led by Speaker (Feliciano) Sonny Belmonte, at doon po sa pagbabaston nu’ng paggalaw po ng mga deliberasyon sa budget diyan,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over state-run dzRB radio.
(We thank our colleagues at the House of Representatives, of course, led by Speaker Sonny Belmonte, and for directing the progress of the budget’s deliberation there.)
On Friday night, the 291-chamber approved the bill in a vote of 230-20, immediately after the budget bill was passed on second reading on the same day.
READ: Aquino certifies 2016 national budget as urgent
The passage of the national budget came after President Benigno Aquino III certified the bill as urgent.
Valte said the budget underwent grueling scrutiny at the House of Representatives.
“Medyo matagal na rin ho nilang pinag-uusapan ‘yung ating budget at marami na ho tayong sumalang sa committee hearings pa lang po diyan sa budget (They talked about our budget for quite sometime and many of us underwent committee hearings on that budget). At talagang, ano po ‘yan, parang (And it is really) to those of us in the executive that’s also considered another thesis defense to face our fellows in Congress—to be able to defend your agency’s or your office’s budget,” she said.
She said the budget would be submitted to the senate where it would also be scrutinized.
“Hindi pa ho tapos ang pagtingin sa budget natin. Mayroon pa ho ‘yan, siyempre, sa Senado,” she said.
(The scrutiny on our budget is not yet finished. It has to go under the Senate.)
Critics of the three trillion national budget slammed the passage of the bill, which they said contained lump sum appropriations.
The 2016 proposed General Appropriations Act is 15.2 percent higher than the P2.606 trillion budget approved in 2015.
The Department of Education got the highest appropriation with P435.9 billion from P377.7 billion in 2015. Nestor Corrales/RAM