MANILA – The Congress is now ready to convene to a bicameral meeting after the Senate unanimously approved on third and final reading the P3.757-trillion 2019 General Appropriations Bill.
Sen. Loren Legarda, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said they will be waiting advice from the House of Representatives for a proposed schedule to reconcile the differences in their respective versions of the 2019 national budget.
“We hope to be able to immediately reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions so that we may approve the budget within the remaining session days that we have,” Legarda said.
She added: “This is very important because the passage of our national budget every year comes with the hope of achieving real lasting growth for Filipinos, especially the poor and the most vulnerable.”
The Antiquena senator said the Senate’s version of the 2019 budget will continue to prioritize education, healthcare, livelihood and employment, and social services.
“The 2019 national budget supports the infrastructure program of the government while also taking care of the human capital so that economic growth addresses the needs of the people, especially the poorest sector,” she said.
“It will also continue to fund programs to build our resilience to natural hazards and climate change and promote environmental integrity,” Legarda added.
The 2019 budget follows a cash-based system. This means agencies are required to spend their entire budget within a year. This is different from the previous system that allowed extended spending for up to two years./PN
