Senate receives House-approved national budget

The Senate has received the House of Representatives approved version of the proposed R4.1-trillion national budget for 2020, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Tuesday.

Angara, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said the Senate was now in the final stages of hearing the budgets of the remaining government agencies.

“Our finance subcommittees are completing the hearings on the proposed budgets of the last few agencies,” Angara said in a statement.

“During the break, we will be consolidating all of the submissions into the committee report and once we resume sessions, we will be ready to sponsor the bill in plenary,” he added.

Angara assured that the Senate will do its best to approve the proposed 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on time.

“The Senate will work overtime to approve this most important piece of legislation so that the measure will be with the President for signing before the end of the year,” he said.

Based on their timetable, up for scrutiny are the proposed budget of the Civil Service Commission (CSC)/Career Executive Service Board; the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), Credit Information Commission, and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

Also scheduled for scrutiny are the budgets of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its attached agencies; the budgets of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB); Department of Energy and its attached agencies.