‘We cannot afford a reenacted budget’: House sends 2022 budget proposal to Senate, eyes approval before Dec 17

The House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate the copy of proposed P5.024 trillion national budget for 2022.

Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco said the printed copies of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) was sent to the Senate last Monday or two days ahead of the House’s self-imposed deadline.

“In line with our commitment to ensure the timely enactment of next year’s national budget, we have transmitted to the Senate the 2022 GAB duly approved by the House ahead of schedule,” Velasco said.

The House approved the GAB on third and final reading in September.

Velasco said this would give the senators reasonable time to scrutinize and pass the GAB “as we look forward to the bicameral conference where we can thresh out and reconcile the differing provisions of the House and Senate versions.”

The House leader is optimistic that both chambers will ratify the budget before December 17, the last session day of the year.

“We cannot afford a reenacted budget, which is expected to dampen the country’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis,” Velasco pointed out. “A reenacted budget will definitely ruin our efforts to build back better and deliver much-needed services for our kababayans amid the pandemic.”

Velasco is “extremely hopeful that the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget will help propel the Philippine economy to a strong recovery starting 2022.”

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)