SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said he expects President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the P5-trillion national budget before the end of the year.
He said he will sign the proposed bill before sending it to the Palace on Thursday.
The proposed national budget, which both houses of Congress approved last December 15, includes allocations for COVID-19-related response such as P50 billion for the Special Risk Allowances of medical frontliners and another P50 billion allotted for booster shots.
COVID-19 Laboratory Network Commodities, Department of Health epidemiology and surveillance program; purchase of drugs, medicines and vaccines that will be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program were also included in the allocations.
Aside from COVID-19-related programs, around P5 billion were allotted by lawmakers for the social amelioration program; up to P25.018 billion for social pension for indigent senior citizens; funds for the Department of Labor and Employment’s Integrated Livelihood Program; Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations with P39.865 billion; and for the Emergency Repatriation Fund of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program under the Department of Public Works and Highways will receive a big bulk of the fund allocation with P700 billion, according to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sonny Angara.
Meanwhile, the highly controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict will get about P17 billion under the proposed budget.