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mrt.daydesk@gma il.com
By Maricel V. Cruz
HE Palace is expected to submit tq the House of
Representatives today, Tuesday, the proposed P4.1-
trillion national government budget for 2020.
Malacafiang's economic managers will
meet with Speakef Alan Petpr Cayetano,
.: House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Mar-
" tin, Romualdez; Davao City and Rep. Isidro
Ungab and other leaders to seek the money
measure's speedy passage.
Romualdez saidthe House will immediate-
ly tackle the budget proposal and subject it to
a thorough study to make it responsive to the
needs ofthe people.
He,ffi the House will approve the budget
on third and final reading in October.
. i;iThe timely passage of the national budget
and other priority measures will further pro-
pel.tho,qguntry's economic growth. If we can
sustain this, we might go to greater heights
never seen before," Romualdez said.
He said "lifting Filipinos out of poverty is
the top priority of President Rodrigo Duterte
in the next three years and we need every-
body's support for this mission.
"The numbers now are good. All poverty
indicators arc atan all-timelow. We justheed
to stay the Course and make sure that all the
progdams and policies are in place for the next
phase of the war againstpoverty."
The House committee on appropriations,
led by Ungab, is scheduled to conduct the
budget hearings from Monday to Friday start-
ing on Aug.22 to ensure its timely passage.
"We will do our best to approve the budget
PAq{i on time and exercise our constitutional duty to
scrutinize the budget to make sure that every
A€./ peso that we appropriate will contribute to the
overall growth and development of the coun-
j
'"*'
try Ungab said.
. . He said the appropriations committee
hoped to finish the budget hearings by the sec-
ond week of September and start the plenary
deliberations as soon as the panel approved its
committee report.
The targetdate forpassing the General Ap-
propriations Bill is Oct. 4 befpre the congres-
sional recess, Ungab said.
The budgethearings will kipk off on Thurs-
day, Aug. 22, at 9 a.m. with a briefing of the
Development Budget Coordination Commit-
tee, the inter-agency body that determines the
overall economio targets, expenditure levels
and the budget of the government.
The DBCC is composed of the Depart-
ment of Budget and Management, National
Economic and Development Authority, De-
partment of Finance and the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas.
Then on Friday, Au'g. 23, the appropria-
tions committee will review the budget
proposals of the Philippine Charity Sweep-
stakes Office and the Philippine Amuse-
ment and Gaming Corp.
The Budget department earlier said the
2020 nationalbudgethad the theme "Continu- MONEY MEASURE. House Majority Leader Rep. Martin Romualdez (left)of Leyte
ing the Journey to a More Peaceful and Pro- discusses the 2020 national budget with Department of Budget and Management's
gressive Philippines" as it hoped to "sustain acting SecretaryWendel Avisado during a short meeting in Malacafiang. Ver Noveno
the tremendous progress that the Philippines
has made as a nation during the administra- opportunities, the department said. gram would continue to be the flagship pro-
tion of President Rodrigo Duterte. It said the2020 cash appropriations would gram of the Duterte administration's infra-
The theme was also consistent with the give priority to the acceleration of infra- sJructure development plan, reaching around
administration's goal of becoming a mid- structure, anti-poverty and pro-employment Pl.8 trillion or 6.9 percent of the country's
dle-income country where no one lacked spending. It said the Build, Build, Build Prb- GDP by 2022.1