Busindlirtor

Thur-sday, August 15, ?frlg

SolonsYow,
'timely'
passage of
2020budget
Bv fovrr Menrr N. orle Cnuz
t gjoveemqTie

HE chairman of the House

Committee on Appropria-
tions on Wednesday said
lawmakers will immediately start Budget. .. cerns and interact with the economic
managers and department secretaries.
We also appeal to our colleagues to
panel deliberations on the pro- Cottttlueo Pnou A8
posed P4. 1-trillion budget fo r 2020 avoid repetitive questions during for-
once it is submitted to the lower The P4. 1 -tri I lion cash-based budget mal budget deliberationsisaid Romual-
chamber. for 2020 is equivalent to 19.4 percent dez during the event of the 44-strong
The Department of Budget of the country's GDB which amounts Visayan bloc on Tuesday night.
and Management (DBM) is ex-' to P21 .17 trillion. "Because of a shorter time frame,
pected to subrnit the P4.1-trillion approving the national budget is turn-
National Expenditure Program Budget briefings ing out to be a Herculean task for all of
(NEP) on August 20. Davao City HOUSE Majority Leader Martin G. us. There's plenty of work ahead, but!
Rep. Isidro Ungab, the panel chair- Romualdez, chairmaqof the House with allyour support, full cooperation
man, said the commitiee will Committee on Rules, said the lower aind molasakit [compassion], we can
start deliberations on the budget chamber will continue to hold bud- guarantee the timely passage of the
onAugust22. !
get briefings to ensure the active national budgeti' added Romualdez.
Ungab said this will assure the participation of President Duterte's The majority leader also made an
swiftpassage of the national bud- economic managers, heads of vari- assurance that the national budget
getbefore the lBth Congress takes ous departments and line agencies "will go through the normal and verY
its first break on October 5, ahead of the formal deliberations of tra nspa rent process of deli berations to
Based on the schedule of activi- their respective budgetary require- fully discuss its merits and main objec-
ties, the appropriations commit- ments for next year. tive to serve the peoPle:
tee will deliberate on the 2020 "We will continue to hold budget "We are going to scrutinize the na-
NF,P starting August 22 to Sep- briefings so that our colleagues will tional builget and do our jobs properlyi
tember 9 while the approval of have enough time to'raise their con- said Romualdez.
the committee report is slated ort
September 11.
The proposed 2020 General Ap-
\ pAG€ - AR"
propriations Act is expected to be
approved on third and final read-
ing on October 4. The House will
transmit the national budget to
the Senate on October 8.
Congress targets to submit the
2020 nationalbudget to President
Duterte on Decernber 20.
The total proposednationalbud-
get for 2020 at P4.1, trillion is 9.1
percent higher, or P343 billion more
than the proposed P3.757-trillion
nationai budget for 2019.
. Sss "BUDGETr" Az