MANILA – The Senate and the House of Representatives is about to beat President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadline of submitting the ratified version of the 2020 national budget by December.
Senate Finance committee chairman Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said Monday that about 90 percent of the conflicting provisions of the two chambers of the Congress in next year’s budget were reconciled.
“We are approximately 90 to 95% reconciled with the House,” Angara said. “Sen. [Panfilo] Lacson’s proposals like placing some limits on administrative costs and having the possibility of greater local projects have also been adopted in some form in the budget provisions.”
According to Angara, the Senate and House contingents for the bicameral conference committee on next year’s national budget are about to meet again on Tuesday to iron out the remaining disagreeing provisions.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III also said they eye approving the final version of the budget on Wednesday at the latest “if [there are] no hitches.”
“If there were no hitches, the Senate can ratify the bicameral version of the 2020 national budget on Wednesday or even on Tuesday,” Sotto added.
Earlier this month, President Duterte urged the Senate and the House to pass the national budget by December to avoid what happen to this year’s budget, which was four months delayed.
Duterte was only able to sign the 2019 budget into law in April after the Senate and House took time to transmit the signed enrolled copy of the bill over disagreements on lawmakers’ insertions./PN
