Sotto assures 2020 budget to be passed on time

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III has assured that the Senate is on track for the approval of the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020, as the upper chamber resumed its plenary deliberations on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) that was approved and transmitted by the House of Representatives.

“It was submitted on time. We are right on track of our timetable without sacrificing important issues being raised in the different departments,” Sotto said in a statement Wednesday.

Sotto said plenary discussions on the budget measure, including the period of interpellation, and individual and committee amendments, are expected to be completed by the last week of November.

Sotto added that during plenary deliberations, senators have been given plenty of time to clarify some provisions in the appropriations bill.

The delay in the passage of the 2019 budget has led to P463.6 billion in economic losses for the first six months of the year, Deputy Speaker and 1Pacman Party-list Rep. Michael Romero earlier said.

Senators are eyeing the approval on second and third reading of the proposed GAB by next week, said Sotto. The bicameral conference committee, meanwhile, is expected to be completed by the first week of December.

“The bicameral debates will be unpredictable. We expect healthy debates among members of the bicameral panel as they thresh out and reconcile the differences in our respective versions of the measure. We hope they will remain level-headed and open-minded during the discussions,” he said.

Congress is eyeing to have the proposed 2020 General Appropriations Act signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte before lawmakers go on break for the holidays on December 20.

Edited by MUF