By Liza Soriano
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has assured that the Senate will pass the proposed 2024 national budget by first week or second week of December.
“Our commitment, to answer your question, we will pass it on time. We will finish it by the first week of December; I would believe it would be ready for the President’s signature, [the] latest [by] second week of December,” Zubiri said during the special joint session of both houses on Saturday.
During the joint session, the House of Representatives transmitted the final version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) to the upper house.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Romualdez said that it will be the decision of the Senate whether to follow the lead of the lower house in removing the confidential funds of five agencies or not.
“The ball is in our hands, ‘ika nga sa basketball, nando’n na po sa amin,” Zubiri said.
“Unfortunately, hindi na po namin nakasama ‘yong aming chairman ng committee on appropriations today so we’ll act on his behalf, si Senator Angara, he just came back from an overseas mission, but kami po ni Senator Joel Villanueva our Majority Floor Leader, at iba pong mga senador — nandito po si Senator JV Ejercito, and some other senators ay handa po tumanggap po ng final version of the House of Representatives’ 2024 national budget,” the Senate President added.
(ai/mnm)