The House of Representatives is set to approve on second reading the P2.006-trillion national budget for 2013 today (Thursday), House majority leader Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said yesterday.
Gonzales said that the approval would be a day shy of the scheduled two-week congressional break which starts on Friday.
“It is safe to say that the proposed budget will be passed on second reading tomorrow night (Thursday), late na po ang ten in the evening,” Gonzales said in an interview with House reporters.
Gonzales said that the despite the swift approval of the budget the people could be assured that it was considered with accountability and transparency in mind.
“We are very much ahead of the schedule and we assure that accountability and transparency are the primary considerations in the disbursement of funds,” said Gonzales.
“The forthcoming approval of the national budget is an offshoot of the extensive discussions on the floor we are conducting where all House members are given the opportunity to participate in dissecting the GAB,” he added.
Gonzales said the House of Representatives will finally approve the national budget on third reading when session resumes on Oct. 8.
“When we resume to work, we will approve it on third and final reading and transmit it to the Senate,” said Gonzales.
Congress is scheduled to take a two-week recess starting this Saturday to give the lawmakers time to file their certificates of candidacy. Another congressional break is scheduled on Oct. 19 to Nov. 5.
The only remaining agencies that have to get their budgets approved are the: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Energy, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, some executive offices, and the National Economic and Development Authority and their  attached agencies.
Yesterday, the plenary discussed the appropriations of the Office of the President, Congress of the Philippines, Departments of Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Interior and Local Government (DILG), Office of the President and its attached agencies.
Of all the P2.006 trillion, the DepEd got the biggest amount of P292.7 billion.
Next to DepEd is the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), P152.9 billion; Department of National Defense (DND), P121.6 billion; DILG, P121.1 billion; Department of Agriculture (DA), P 74.1 billion; Department of Health (DoH), P56.8 billion; DSWD, P56.2 billion; Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC), P 37.1 billion; DoF, P33.2 billion and DENR, P23.7 billion.