Congressman moves to extend validity of 2021 GAA

MANILA, Philippines — An administration lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to extend until December 2022 the validity of this year’s P4.5-trillion national budget.

“Nearing the end of the year, there are still programs, projects and activities funded by the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that are very much needed by the Filipino people, especially those in the most vulnerable sector,” Rep. Eric Go Yap said yesterday to justify his filing of House Bill 10373.

Yap, chairman of the House appropriations committee, said the measure aims to ensure that 2021 funds can still be utilized on important projects to help the economy recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic.

“The bill seeks to extend the availability of the 2021 national appropriations from Dec. 31, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022,” the congressman from party-list ACT-CIS said.

According to Yap, the overall objective of his measure “is to allow the agencies to fully utilize the allocated budget for 2021 to implement government programs and projects and to ensure that the intended beneficiaries of these basic services are reached.”

The House official said the 2021 national budget is not only focused on the priority programs of President Duterte, but also on guaranteeing a strong response against the pandemic.

“The GAA of 2021 centers on the philosophy that more than our priorities for a responsive and dynamic governance, the focus of our resources shall also be directed to the most urgent priority – to reset our momentum and action, rebound from the devastating effects of the pandemic on the health and economy and fully recover from current and continuing impacts of the crisis,” Yap said.

He said COVID-19 has curbed the opportunities for socio-economic growth and development.

“It also brought disruptions in the operations of government, which then caused delay in the release and issuances of budget allocations. Nearing the end of the year, there are still programs, projects and activities funded by the 2021 GAA that are very much needed by the Filipino people, especially those in the most vulnerable sector,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the printed copies of the House-approved 2022 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) were sent to the Senate two days ahead of the Oct. 27 target date set by the lower chamber, so that there would be no more reenacted budget.

“In doing so, we hope to give our senators reasonable time to scrutinize and pass their own version of the GAB as we look forward to the bicameral conference where we can thresh out and reconcile the differing provisions of the House and Senate versions,” he added.

As the economy gradually moves toward full reopening, Velasco said he was “extremely hopeful that the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget will help propel the Philippine economy to a strong recovery starting 2022.”