(Eagle News) — Malacanang thanked the members of the lower house for passing the P3-trillion 2016 national budget, telling those saying that the budget deliberation was rushed that there are more deliberations in the Senate.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that budget deliberations will still go on in the Senate. She saiad Congress had long been conducting deliberations on the P3 trillion national budget.
The P3.002 trillion proposed budget represents a 15.2 percent increase from the 2015 national budget and comprises 19.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“Hindi pa ho tapos ang pagtingin sa budget natin—mayroon pa ho ‘yan sa Senado. Nagpapasalamat tayo doon sa ating mga kasamahan sa Camara de Representantes, siyempre, led by Speaker Sonny Belmonte at doon po sa pagbabaston ‘nang mga deliberasyon sa budget,” Valte said in a radio interview on Saturday.
Congress has been deliberating the budget for quite some time and there are a number of officials from the executive branch who participated in the congressional budget hearings, Valte told dzRB Radyo Ng Bayan.
“At talagang to those of us in the executive that’s also considered another thesis defense—to face our fellows in Congress to be able to defend your agency’s or your office’s budget,” she said adding they will exert similar effort when the Senate tackles the budget.
On the issue of railroading the budget as well as the alleged inclusion of lump sum funds, Valte said they can’t please everybody in having the budget approved, but she said there is a process being followed in Congress in passing the national budget that must be respected.
The House of Representatives on Friday night approved the proposed P3-trillion budget for 2016 on second and final reading with only a few changes. (based on PND report)