Senate OKs bicam report on ‘13 budget

According to Sen. Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, the disagreeing provisions between the Senate and House versions were minimal. FILE PHOTO

The Senate on Wednesday ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013 just hours after senators and House members met to iron out minimal differences between their respective versions of the appropriations bill.

“This year’s budget is expected to provide much needed funds aimed at improving the government’s infrastructure projects, thereby enhancing public services and providing more jobs, better healthcare services, and education,” said Sen. Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate committee on finance.

According to Drilon,  the disagreeing provisions between the Senate and House versions were minimal.

Drilon said House Speaker Sonny Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile would receive copies of the appropriations bill in the next few days.

“We are confident that President Aquino will be able to sign the measure into law before the end of the year,” he said. “This will be the third year that the budget will be enacted into law in time for the coming fiscal year,” Drilon added.

The Senate panel in the bicameral conference committee was chaired by Drilon and included Senators Ralph G. Recto, Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, Panfilo Lacson, Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV.

Drilon said the P2.006-trillion budget for 2013 remains intact, with the only difference being the P100-million priority development assistance fund (PDAF) of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, whose term of office ends on 2013.

Lacson had always waived his PDAF allocation since he became a senator in 2001.

Drilon said the top 10 departments with the biggest budgets are the Department of Education with P293.32 billion compared to this year’s P238.8 billion; the Department of Public Works and Highways,  P152.4 billion from P126.4 billion; Department of National Defense,  P121.6 billion from P108.1 billion; the Department of Interior and Local Government, including the Philippine National Police,   P121.12 billion from P99.8 billion; the Department of Agriculture, P74.1 billion from P61.4 billion; the Department of Health (DOH), P56.8 billion from P45.8 billion; the Department of Social Welfare and Development, P56.2 billion from P48.8 billion; the Department of Transportation and Communications, P37.1 billion from P34.7 billion; the Department of Finance,  P33.2 billion from P23.6 billion; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P23.7 billion from P17.5 billion.

But Drilon said the DOH budget does not include the incremental revenues which will come from the proposed sin taxes.

“We estimate that it should at least be P23 billion, if not more, in addition to what is provided in the 2013 budget,” Drilon said. With Maila Ager, INQUIRER.net

Originally posted at 04:43 pm | Wednesday, December 05, 2012