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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lower House vows ‘19 budget passage in two weeks’ time

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The small committee of Congress tasked to resolve the amendments on the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 aims to finish its work this week, and vote on third and final reading approval by the third week of the month, Compostela Valley Rep. Maria Carment Zamora on Sunday said.

Zamora, the main plenary sponsor of the national budget and a senior vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, said the House of Representatives cannot pass the national budget this week.

“Unfortunately, we are still quite in the thick of the amendments. Due to the volume of the amendments requested and agreed upon during the debates over HB No. 8169 alone, combined with the different agencies’ concerns, we’re still going through items. We’re targeting finishing

this week, and then the budget will be readied for printing,” she said.

“By the third week of November, we can have the third and final reading approval” she added.

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She assured the public that the proposed national budget for 2019 would be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte before the year ends.

“The small committee has been working with the secretariat day in and out. But it’s really a consuming process. Rest assured we will pass the national budget in time for next year,” she said.

The delayed approval of the national budget stemmed from the alleged P52-billion worth of insertions allegedly by the previous House leadership, prompting Speaker Gloria Arroyo to realign these to

important projects for equitable and fair distribution of funds. 

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