Senate holds morning session to tackle 2020 budget

Senate budget hearing on Nov 12, 2019. INQUIRER.NET PHOTO/ CATHY MIRANDA

MANILA, Philippines – Senators started holding morning sessions on Tuesday to tackle the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020.

The Senate regularly holds its session at 3:30 p.m. from Monday to  Wednesday.

But this Tuesday, the session opened at 10:00 a.m with Senator  Sonny Angara taking the floor to respond to questions on the national budget as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance.

The Senate will hold sessions until Thursday this week to deliberate on the budget.

Among the agencies scheduled to present and defend their proposed budget this week are the Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Budget and Management, Department of  Public Works and Highways,  Anti-Money Laundering  Council and National Security Council.

Angara earlier said the 2020 budget, as approved by the  Committee on Finance, contains higher funding for social services.

He said there was “a bipartisan consensus” to raise the budgets for the repair of earthquake-damaged schools, school vouchers, free college, school feeding programs, aid for indigent patients, and the deployment of nurses, doctors to poor areas, among others. /gsg

READ: Sonny Angara’s panel seeks more budget for quake victims, education in 2020