MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte declared the projected PHP5.024-trillion budget for 2022 as urgent on Wednesday night.
Duterte requested the quick enactment of House Bill 10153, or the 2022 General Appropriations Bill, in a letter addressed to House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on September 29.
The budget resolution, according to Duterte, needs to be passed right away to “address the need to maintain continuous government operations following the end of the current fiscal year, to expedite the funding of various programs, projects, and activities for FY 2022, and to ensure budgetary preparedness that will enable the government to effectively perform its constitutional mandate.”
Velasco stated that the House intends to enact its version of the national budget for 2022 by September 30, or before Congress adjourns session from October 17 to November 15 to file certificates of candidacy for the May 2022 elections.
The main goal is for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the 2022 General Appropriations Act by December in order to avoid a reenacted budget that would slow economic growth and impede government service delivery, according to Velasco.
The projected budget for next year is PHP4.506 trillion, which is 11.5 percent higher than this year.
It is driven by a strategy that is backed by three primary pillars — Building Resilience amidst the Pandemic; Sustaining the Momentum towards Recovery, and Continuing the Legacy of Infrastructure Development.
The social services sector will receive the greatest share of the budget in 2022, amounting to PHP1.92 trillion, or 38.3 percent of the total.
The economic services sector will receive the second largest share at 29.3 percent or PHP1.474 trillion; 17.2 percent or PHP862.7 billion to general public services; 10.8 percent or PHP541.3 billion to debt burden (including net lending); and 4.5 percent or PHP224.4 billion to defense.
