The Senate will pass the proposed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget today so it can reach President Rodrigo Duterte’s table by the first week of February, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said.
He said the senators will first finalize the amendments to the budget before they vote to approve the bill.
He said the bicameral conference committee meeting could be convened by Tuesday.
“The amendments were submitted over the last four days. There were amendments that were already being proposed weeks ago, but everything will be finalized later,” Sotto said.
“And then right after that we will approve it on second and third reading so we can convene the bicam either tonight or tomorrow.”
With President Duterte’s certification to the bill’s urgency, the Senate could forgo the three-day rule and pass the budget bill on second and third reading within the same day.
The Senate terminated the period of interpellations on the budget last week.
A contentious issue in the 2019 national budget is the alleged P75-billion “insertion” of the Department of Public Works and Highways without the agency’s knowledge. But the Senate moved for its deletion.
Sotto said the P75 billion may be realigned or chopped up for other government projects.
It was earlier proposed that the insertion could fund the health facilities enhancement program, or even the potential government takeover of the bankrupt Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines. With PNA
