MANILA – The House of Representatives on Tuesday transmitted the proposed P4.1 trillion 2020 national budget to the Senate for its approval.
The 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or House Bill No. 4228 was received by the Office of the Senate President on Oct. 1, documents obtained by the media showed.
“This morning the GAB was formally transmitted to the Senate. It will allow it to be included on First Reading for referral to their Finance Committee, which in turn can deliberate on it during the break,” Deputy Speaker Neptali Gonzales II told reporters.
Gonzales reiterated that the House-approved version of the budget bill was “pork-free.” The chamber passed the spending plan on third and final reading on Sept. 20.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier certified the proposed 2020 national budget as urgent and called for its immediate passage to “maintain continuous government operations.”
The government operated on a reenacted budget early this year due to the delay in the 2019 budget approval, which resulted in slower economic growth in the first half. (ABS-CBN News)
