PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has certified as urgent the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020.
In a letter to Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano dated Sept. 17, Mr. Duterte certified the necessity of the immediate enactment of House Bill No. 4228 or the 2020 General Appropriations Bill.
The President said he wants to ensure the immediate passage of the 2020 national budget “in order to address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects, and activities for FY 2020.”
The passage of the national budget will also ensure “budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform is Constitutional mandate.”
The hearings on the 2020 budget ended on Sept. 6. Plenary debates are currently ongoing.
Last year’s budget was delayed because of alleged “insertions” and the resulting disputes about changes to the spending program. President Rodrigo R. Duterte eventually vetoed more than P95 billion worth of spending items after signing the measure in mid-April. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
