Inihayag ni Senate President Vicente Sotto III na malalagdaan ni Pangulong Duterte ang P4.5 trilyong national budget para sa 2021 bago sumapit ang Bagong Taon “kung walang mangyayaring aberya sa bicameral conference committee o kung saan man.

Sa panayam, umaasa si Sotto na maaprubahan ang bicameral conference committee report sa Disyembre 8, 2020 saka ito iapapaimprenta at dadalhin sa Office of the Presidente.

“Ang ibig sabihin noon, hopefully, from that time hanggang December 8, maaring unforeseen circumstances, especially during the bicam, the bicam report will be approved by December 8,” ayon kay Sotto.

Sinabi ni Sotto na kung mangyayari iyon, pitong araw ang pagpapaimprenta sa National Printing Office, saka lalagdaan ng mga congressional leaders ang enrolled bill, kaya bago mag-Pasko, inaasahan nilang malalagdaan ito ni Pangulong Duterte.

“Or, at the very latest, before the end of the year. Iyon ang exact sitwasyon sa ngayon. And, hopefully, we are keeping our fingers crossed that maaaring unforeseen circumstances, we will be able to keep to this schedule that I mentioned,” ayon kay Sotto.

Ayon kay Sotto na nasa kamay na ng Senate committee on finance na pinamumunuan ni Senador Sonny Angara ang inaprubahang General Appropriation Bills, nitong Agosto 27, mas maaga ng isang araw sa ipinangakong Agosto 28.

Naunang ipinangako ni House Speaker Lord Alan Velasco na mapapasakamay ng Senado ang aprubadong panukala sa unang linggong Nobyembre.

“The initial reaction of the Committee on Appropriations in the House was that by first week of November daw nila kaya. But, when I talked to Speaker Velasco, he assured me that they will do their best to give or transmit it to us by the 28th of October,” paliwanag ni Sotto.

“And we are so glad because we received it by the agreement before October 28. Yesterday, we are so glad that we received it by October 27. One day ahead of the agreement,” dagdag ng lider ng senado.

Sinabi ni Sotto na dahil naisumite nang maaga ang budget bill, magkakaroon ng sapat na panahon ang Senado na himayin ang panukalang isinumite ng Mababang Kapulungan hanggang magbukas ang sesyon sa Nobyembre 9.

“Kapag nagkaganoon, from today up to resumption of the senate and the house of representatives – the entire congress by November 9, that means, we have enough time for our sub-committees to collate everything and to submit everything to the main finance committee,” paliwanag ni Sotto.

“And, when submitted to the main finance committee, iyong LBRMO namin, medyo matrabaho iyon, usually they stay overnight most of the time,” dagdag pa ni Sotto.

Aniya, tiyak na sa Nobyembre 10, mag-sponsorship speech na si Angara dahil maaga ang submission ng House version.

“Sponsorship speech will be on November 10 and then, that means, that from November 11 to November 17, we have the period of interpellations, and, that means, we will still work overtime because there are 27 departments, 100 plus agencies, 100 plus kung anu ano pang mga nandodoon pa na mga bureaus, we will probably start by 10 am, probably by 9am, then we will probably end up every day by 12 midnight or 1am para matapos naming ang period of interpellations by the 17th,” aniya.

“Sa November 24, period of amendments, and then approval on second reading and then approval on 3rd reading because it is a certified bill,” dagdag ng lider ng Senado. (ESTONG REYES)