Senate rushes budget

Senator Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

THE SENATE is rushing to approve the proposed 2016 national budget of P3.003 trillion with Senate President Franklin Drilon confident the chamber will be able to approve the measure by Thursday.

“We will approve it this week, we are almost halfway through the agencies on the interpellations,” Drilon said, adding that the target was to approve the budget measure on second and third reading by Thursday.

Since Monday, the Senate has been holding marathon sessions—morning sessions that start at 9 a.m. that last until almost midnight—to scrutinize the budget proposals of over 40 government agencies and offices.

But deliberations on the budget measure were expected to be suspended today as Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was set to deliver a privilege speech pertaining to the proposed 2016 national budget.