P4.1-T national budget for 2020 swiftly gets House nod

The lower chamber passed the proposed 2020 budget after having nine days of plenary discussions. (File photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

The House of Representatives swiftly gave the green light to the proposed P4.1-trillion budget for 2020, after President Rodrigo Duterte certified it as urgent.

On Friday, September 20, House Bill (HB) No. 4228 or the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) was passed on second reading and was then immediately approved on third and final reading, garnering 257 affirmative votes, six negative votes, and zero abstentions.

The lower chamber passed the proposed 2020 budget after having nine days of plenary discussions. This is also the earliest passage bill under the Duterte administration, contrary to the much-delayed approval of the P3.757-trillion national budget for this year.

The swift passage of the proposed budget, however, earned a few criticisms, with Deputy minority leader and Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate saying that they are against a “budget na para sa pagpatay, sa pagsikil sa karapatan ng mamamayan at ang budget na batbat ng pondong pork barrel (that is [intended] for killing, threatens the rights of the people, and the budget that is riddled with pork barrel funds).”

House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, however, believes that they passed a “quality people’s budget.”

“Our passing of budget in record time will give our standing and special committees more time to exercise their oversight functions,” he said.

Cayetano also urged lawmakers to continue to review, study, discuss, scrutinize, and amend the budget so that the 2020 budget will “fit the perfect vision of a safe and comfortable life for all Filipinos.”

Based on the 2020 GAB, the top 10 departments which will receive the biggest allocations are the Department of Education (DepEd) with P673-billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with  P534.3-billion, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with P238 billion, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) with P195-billion, the Department of National Defense (DND) with  P189-billion, the Department of Health (DOH) with P166.5-billion, the Department of Transportation (DOT) with P147-billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) with P93.1-billion, The Judiciary with P38.7-billion, and finally, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with P26.4-billion.