THE House of Representatives will start plenary deliberations on the proposed P5.768 trillion 2024 national budget tomorrow with an eye at wrapping up the process before the end of the month.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the House is on track to finish debates on the Executive’s budget National Expenditure Program (NEP) and send the appropriations bill to the Senate in time for the congressional recess later this month.
“We will work morning and afternoon and on Thursday and Friday this week to meet our timeline. The national spending bill is the single most important piece of legislation Congress passes every year,” he said.
The leader of the 311-member chamber added that the budget measure will support the President’s prosperity and economic recovery roadmap.
“Through the national budget, we hope to sustain our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, create more income and job opportunities for our people, and improve their quality of life through the timely delivery of basic social services like education, healthcare, infrastructure, and financial aid,” Romualdez said.
Plenary debates will kick off on Tuesday with sponsorship speeches, followed by debates on general principles and provisions, and consideration of the budgets of the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Tourism (DOT), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), including their attached agencies, and offices under the Office of the President (OP).
On deck on Wednesday are the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Elections, Commission on Human Rights, Department of National Defense, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, and more OP attached offices.
On Thursday, the House will scrutinize the spending proposals of the judiciary, Department of Justice, Department of Agrarian Reform, Presidential Communications Office, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and state universities and colleges.
Friday will see the chamber considering the budgets of Congress, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Interior and Local Government, including their attached agencies, and funding support for several government corporations.
On September 25, it will be the turn of the Civil Service Commission, Commission on Audit, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, and additional OP agencies to be considered.
Proposed appropriations for the OP, Office of the Vice President, Department of Education, Metro Manila Development Authority, and Dangerous Drugs Board and several other OP agencies, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources will be tackled on September 26.
The chamber is hoping that by September 27, a Wednesday, it will be the last day of budget deliberations.
However, if necessary, the House leadership said it can still hold session until September 29 to take up funding proposals for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Transportation, Department of Budget and Management, and lumpsum appropriations.
