House to approve P2-T 2013 budget this week

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives is expected to approve on second reading this week the proposed P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013, Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said yesterday.

He said plenary deliberations on the proposed national outlay are expected to end tomorrow or before Congress goes on a two-week break.

“Except for a few contested agencies, the deliberations went on very smoothly,” Gonzales said. “We would like to thank the minority for not putting up obstacles,” he said.

He said the debates on the proposed P12.7-billion budget of the Department of Agriculture went on for two days last week but most of the other agencies hurdled the deliberations in a much shorter period of time.

The House is expected to approve the proposed national budget on third and final reading in the House by the middle of next month. Congress resumes session on the first week of October.

Gonzales said the break would also allow aspirants for local and congressional posts to file their certificates of candidacy.

Once approved on third and final reading, the General Appropriations Bill would be sent to the Senate.

Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, said the proposed national budget for 2013 will ensure accountability and performance of government agencies.

Abaya, who promised to assume his post as Secretary of Transportation and Communications only after the approval of the 2013 budget program, said the proposed outlay is 10.5 percent or P190 billion higher than this year’s P1.816 trillion, consisting of P1.251 trillion of programmed new appropriations and P117.5 billion in standby funds.

He said the social services sector will get the largest share with P698.8 billion or 34.8 percent of the proposed budget, followed by the economic services sector with P511.1 billion or 25.5 percent.

The general public services sector will take the third largest share with P346 billion or 17.2 percent, he said.

The defense sector will get a share of P89.7 billion or 4.5 percent of the total budget.

Social Watch Philippines (SWP) and Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI), composed of more than a hundred civil society organizations monitoring the national budget, have urged the public to continue keeping watch over the deliberations in the House and the Senate, especially on the Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) and other lump sum appropriations.