House starts deliberations on P4.1-trillion budget today

MANILA, Philippines — The House leadership led by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is scheduled to deliberate today on the most important bill in the chamber – the P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020.

The appropriations committee headed by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab held an executive session yesterday as they took up House Bill 4228 or the General Appropriations Bill. A committee report on the measure would be submitted to the House plenary.

As chairman of the House committee on appropriations, Ungab will be delivering his sponsorship speech, delving on macro assumptions based on the National Expenditure Program and on which the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program is anchored.

Among the first to be taken up are the budgets of the Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, and other executive offices such as the National Intelligence Coordinating Council and National Security Council.

Ungab earlier promised that the House leadership will pass the 2020 national budget before the first congressional break starting on Oct. 5 after convening its first regular session in July.

After two weeks of floor debates, the House of Representatives will print the third and final reading copy of the proposed national budget before adjourning on Oct. 4.

In a related development, House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero of party-list 1Pacman is pushing for the establishment of a National Flood Control Act, especially with the onset of the rainy season until the end of the year.

The president of the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. said House Bill 192 is important as it intends to support victims of flooding-disasters by providing initial frontline services to them.

“Providing for a comprehensive National Flood Control Act, to promote and extend life-saving mechanisms, to augment the demand for support in immediate response to affected populations following a declared flood-disaster,” Romero said.

 “The National Flood Control Act also intends to expand and establish continuity to the aid and support provided in times of flood-disaster,” Romero added.

Romero said each flood will be regarded as a separate event and hence be eligible for assistance, regardless of whether it is issued for the same disaster-affected area or in the same calendar year.