After a bloody and seemingly endless bicameral conference committee phase, the House of Representatives ratified the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 on Friday night.
This paves the way for the signing of the 2019 budget by President Duterte once it is also ratified by the Senate.
“I unconditionally and irrevocably submit to ratify the bicameral committee report on the budget, so moved,” House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro said on the floor. House Deputy Speaker Mercedes Alvarez carried the motion following a simple voice vote (ayes and nayes).
Opposition solon ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio stood to object the motion but was flatly ignored by Castro and Alvarez.
The House bicameral conferees headed by appropriations committee chairperson Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said as early as Thursday that they are ready to approve the bicam report on the General Appropriations Bill and that they were only waiting for their Senate counterparts to concur.
The House and the Senate were supposed to go on recess Wednesday but had to extend their sessions for two days in order to accommodate the GAB’s passage before the election campaign period which will go on full throttle next week.
The bicam meetings began last Jan. 22 at Manila Polo Club in Makati City even as the government was forced to run on a reenacted 2018 budget for the time being.
Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City was the site of the final meeting Friday in which the conferees finally resolved their differences and approved the bicam report at past 4 p.m. Sen. Loren Legarda led the Senate contingent. (Ellson Quismorio)
