MANILA – The Senate has unanimously approved the passage of the P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021, which would mainly dwell on the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Twenty-two senators swiftly approved on second and third reading the general appropriations bill after Senator Sonny Angara introduced the amendments to the proposed national budget on plenary.
“Nananatili pa rin po ang adhikain natin: Na ang pambansang budget ay budget ng pagbangon at pinaka-stratehiya natin mula sa bigat at hirap ng nakaraang taon (2020),” said Angara, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.
After the approval in the upper chamber, the Senate and the House of Representatives will convene in a bicameral conference committee to reconcile their versions of the budget bill possibly by weekend, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
The proposed national budget is 9.9 percent higher than the P4.1-trillion appropriations for 2020 and equivalent to 21.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
A huge portion of next year’s proposed budget will be provided to the social services sector amounting to P1.664 trillion, equivalent to 36.9 percent. This includes funding support for programs related to health, social protection and education.
The economic services sector will receive the second highest allocation with P1.347 trillion or 29.9 percent while the general public services sector will be allocated with P724.2 billion, debt burden with P560.2 billion, and defense with P210.6 billion.
The top 10 agencies with the highest budget allocations are the Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of National Defense, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, the Judiciary, and the Department of Labor and Employment./PN
