House approves 2012 proposed budget on final reading

MANILA -- Before going on a one-month break, the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the proposed budget bill appropriating P1.816-trillion in funds for government agencies next year.

House Bill 5023 was approved with a vote of 198-26-1 around 5:30 p.m., an hour the House of Representatives resumed its plenary session.

Among those who opposed the budget were Camarines Sur Representative Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo, son of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Siquijor Representative Orlando Fua, and members of the progressive party-list bloc.

Once the proposed budget hurdles third and final reading in the Senate, members of the bicameral conference committee are expected to agree on contradictory provisions. The bicameral conference committee report will then be ratified in both chambers before President Benigno Aquino III signs the budget bill into law.

House and Senate leaders earlier said Aquino can sign the budget bill by December 15 to give him time to enjoy a holiday break.

The “results-focused budget” is higher by 10.4 percent or P171 billion over the current year’s P1.645-trillion national budget.

Before the budget approval, the small committee handling proposed amendments to the 2012 budget decided to delete the provision on Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) to agencies enjoying fiscal autonomy, including Congress, the Judiciary and Constitutional Commissions.

The funds under the MPBF provision, which will only be released once the unfilled positions are occupied, have been heavily opposed by the Judiciary saying it violates the Constitution.

Also approved is the 43.9-percent increase in the budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to support the expansion of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

The Department of Education (DepEd) continues to receive the highest budgetary allocation of P238.8 billion under the proposed national budget: a 15.2 percent increase from its budget of P207.3 billion this year. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)

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