Palace promises Duterte will sign 2022 national budget by yearend
MANILA, Philippines — Next year's proposed national budget is still being reviewed, Malacañang said Tuesday, even as it assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte would sign the spending bill into law by yearend.
The proposed ?5.024-trillion outlay for 2022, which was ratified by both chambers of Congress last Dec. 15, was supposed to be signed into law on Tuesday, December 28.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said that the signing of the 2022 budget had been postponed but Malacañang did not provide reasons behind the change in schedule.
"The review process is continuous. The review process and examination of the budget is not yet finished. The budget book is very thick, it is composed of a number of books and each one has to be reviewed," Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who is also acting presidential spokesperson, said at a press briefing.
"It (2022 budget) had to undergo processes here in the executive department after it was ratified by both the House of Representatives and the Senate," he added.
Nograles noted that a proposed national budget undergoes vetting and review processes once it is submitted to Malacañang.
"The review process will be done in a few days and the president will immediately sign the budget," the Palace official said.
"We would want to assure and we assure the public that the budget will be signed. President Duterte will sign the budget for 2022 before Dec. 31," he added.
If the 2022 budget is not signed into law by yearend, the government would be forced to reenact this year's outlay, a scenario that would affect the implementation of its key programs, including pandemic response efforts.
Malacañang previously said the 2022 budget is vital to the administration's COVID-19 resilience and socioeconomic recovery measures.
Under the version approved by Congress, about P50 billion was allocated for COVID-19 vaccines while P22.99 billion was set aside for the health facilities enhancement program.
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