President Duterte is expected to sign the proposed 2021 national budget into law in Davao City next week, his spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday.
Roque said five lawmakers each from the Senate and the House of Representatives would fly to Davao for the signing set on Dec. 28.
The President is in his home province of Davao to spend Christmas with his family.
The Palace had earlier appealed to Congress for the timely approval of the P4.5 trillion budget proposal to avert the prospect of having the government operating on a reenacted 2020 budget next year.
The budget bill ratified by Congress includes a P72 billion allocation for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
Roque said the President was expected to scrutinize the budget proposal and would readily veto any unlawful allocation he finds.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the 2021 budget would ensure an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The 2021 budget assures funding for the pandemic and assistance. Its priority is not just our health workers but about 70 percent of our people. They should be prioritized,” Sotto said, referring to free immunization for the poor.
The passage of the budge is the biggest accomplishment of the Senate espcially now that the country is in a pandemic, he said.
“We are just awaiting the President’s signature,” he said.
