The Senate Committee on Finance promised to scrutinize the details of proposed 2.006-trillion national budget for 2013, which allocated the largest chunk to the Department of Education (DepEd).
Formally receiving the national budget on Monday, Senator Franklin Drilon said debates concerning provisions in General Appropriations Act of 2013 will start on the second week of November.
“We will dissect every detail of the submitted budget as we are doing in the last two years to ensure that the budget is reflective of the needs of the people and promotes inclusive growth and development,” Drilon said.
Drilon, chairman of Senate Commitee Finance, made the promise a day after the national budget was approved in the Lower House Monday.
He revealed that congressmen gave the largest chunk of P292.7 billion of the budget to DepEd, which will enable the agency to plug all resource gaps for classrooms, teachers, and textbooks by the end of 2013.
He added the Lower Congress also approved a huge sum of P152.9 billion to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) while giving P121.6 billion to Department of National Defense (DND).
Outgoing House Committe on Appropriations chairman Joseph Emilio Abaya earlier disclosed that they proposed P121.1 billion budget for
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) next year.
Abaya added that P 74.1 billion will go to Department of Agriculture (DA), P56.8 billion to the Department of Health (DOH) and P56.2 billion for Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The incoming Transportation secretary noted congressmen also allotted P37.1 billion to Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and P33.2 billion for the Department of Finance (DOF).
For his part, Drilon assured senators will be able to finish their amendments and submit the General Appropriations Act to the executive department by the second week of December.
This is to give the President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III enough time to review the budget, Drilon explained.
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