House on track to pass 2020 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is on track to pass the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 and avoid the scenario of another reenacted budget, according to lawmakers.

The House plenary has been able to follow its schedule and approve proposed appropriations for 36 government agencies during floor deliberations this week.

Deliberations on all proposed budgets of departments and agencies under House Bill 4228 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2020 submitted to the plenary so far have all been terminated or approved by the lawmakers, halfway into floor deliberations that will be completed next Friday.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is confident that the House would be able to meet its target of passing the GAB by Oct. 5.

“We assure there will be no delay in our budget policy,” he said in an ambush interview.

On the first day of plenary hearings last Tuesday, the House terminated deliberations on the budgets of Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority and Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

Last Wednesday, the House approved the 2020 budgets of the Department of Justice, Department of Trade and Industry, the judiciary, Office of the Ombudsman and government-owned and controlled corporations.

On the third day last Thursday, the House terminated deliberations on the appropriations for Department of Health, Department of Science and Technology, Commission on Higher Education and state universities and colleges, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Racing Commission, Games and Amusement Board and Philippine Competition Commission.

The plenary approved the proposed budgets for next year of Department of the Interior and Local Government and its attached agencies, Department of Labor and Employment, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Mindanao Development Authority, Climate Change Commission, Commission on Filipinos Overseas and Department of Foreign Affairs.

In the plenary deliberations, lawmakers from the majority bloc stand as sponsors of the proposed agency budgets and address interpellations by fellow lawmakers from the minority.

The House is set to continue with the budget deliberations of other government agencies next week and conclude plenary deliberations by Friday, Sept. 20.