Early 2013 budget approval, assured

Senator Franklin M. Drilon today said the Senate remains committed to passing the proposed P2.006-trillion 2013 national budget before the year ends as the Committee of Finance will be wrapping up its hearings on the individual budgets of departments in the next two weeks.

The committee's chairman also said he expects the House of Representatives will submit its version of the proposed budget to the Senate before Congress takes a short break in the third week of October.

His committee, likewise, will formally submit the 2013 budget for the Senate floor deliberations by the second week of November.

"The budget is the most important piece of legislation the Congress is duty-bound to pass on time. Even if there are still pending measures such as the Sin Tax bill, the budget will not be put aside," stressed Drilon.

"We will not allow any delay in the approval of the budget. We are committed to pass the budget on time in order to enable the government to implement its crucial projects and programs especially infrastructure at the start of the year to take advantage of good weather in the early months," said Drilon.

"A delayed budget approval translates to a delayed service for the people, especially the poor and marginalized sector in the society," he added.

"We plan to submit the budget to the President by the second week of December," he noted.

So far, Drilon said, the committee was able to hear the proposed budgets of all key departments except for the Departments of Transportation and Communication, Agriculture, Agrarian Reform and Energy.

Likewise, he said the Committee has approved and will submit all the budgets of the departments they have already heard except for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Commission on Elections, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority whose budgets are yet to be approved.