Sunday, November 09, 2008 Congress told to prioritize 2009 budget
WITH both houses of Congress to resume session this Monday, Malacañang asked lawmakers Saturday to prioritize passage of the proposed P1.41-trillion national budget for 2009.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said this should help government poverty alleviation efforts in the wake of a global financial meltdown.
"We have to pass the budget on time within this year, so we don't have to reenact the budget for 2008. We have to have continuity in our programs," he said in an interview on dzRH radio.
Under the Constitution, the government will have to use the P1.2-trillion budget for 2008 at the start of 2009, until President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signs the P1.41-trillion budget for 2009 into law.
At the Senate, committees had been tackling items in the 2009 budget in a bid to speed up the process.
Ermita said that when Congress resumes session on Monday, the Palace expects speedier deliberations on the budget.
"Upon the resumption of session in Congress we hope for faster deliberations on the budget," he said. (JMR/Sunnex)
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