Senator Sonny Angara made the assurance that the Senate can wrap up its budget deliberations as scheduled.
This was after the House of Representatives (HOR), through Speaker Martin Romualdez, received a letter from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., certifying as urgent the P5.268 trillion proposed budget for 2023.
“I hereby certify the necessity of the immediate enactment of House Bill No. 4488… in order to address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, strengthen efforts to respond more effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic, and support initiatives towards national economic recovery,” read Marcos letter dated September 16.
“The certification of the urgency of the General Appropriations Bill will enable the House to pass the measure on the same day.”
Angara, who chairs the Committee on Finance, said the certification of the urgency of the General Appropriations Bill will enable the House to pass the measure on the same day.
“It looks like the House is on schedule to pass the budget bill and we look forward to its submission once finalized by the HOR,” the veteran legislator said.
“The Senate will finalize its budget briefings/hearings throughout most of October as scheduled.”
“Meantime, the Senate will finalize its budget briefings/hearings throughout most of October as scheduled,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
The Committee on Finance recently deliberated on the budgets of the Commission on Audit, Office of the Ombudsman, Department of National Defense, Commission on Higher Education, state colleges and universities, University of the Philippines, and other attached agencies and corporations, among others.
Based on the Senate legislative calendar, the first adjournment of session of the 19th Congress will be on October 1. Resumption is on November 7.
Angara made the assurance that despite being on a break, the Senate will continue to deliberate on the budget.
