Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go today said the 2021 P4.5 trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) is now being finalized by the Senate and House of Representatives bicameral (bicam) conference committee panels that he attended at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel yesterday.
He reported on the progress of the bicam meeting. The two panels are led by Senate finance committee chairman Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara and House appropriations committee chairman Eric Yap.
Go is a member of the bicameral conference committee and vice chairman of the Senate finance committee.
He expressed optimism that the budget measure will be ratified by both chambers of Congress so it could be transmitted in time for the approval of President Duterte before the year ends for implementation starting January 2021.
Earlier, Go urged fellow lawmakers to pass on time a 2021 budget that is responsive to the needs of the Filipino people amid the pandemic, including funding the procurement or production of vaccines, restarting the economy to create jobs, attracting investments and alleviating poverty.
Go emphasized that the budget for 2021 must also be responsive to any other health crisis that may come the country’s way.
The senator from Davao stated that President Duterte directed concerned government agencies to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, aside from its affordability, accessibility and availability.
“Uulitin ko, uunahin namin ni Pangulong Duterte lahat ng mahihirap, vulnerable, frontliners, guro, sundalo at pulis para unti-unti na tayong makabalik sa normal na pamumuhay,’’ he added. (I will repeat it, I and President Duterte will prioritize the poor, vulnerable, frontliners, teachers, soldiers and the policemen so we could little by little return to normal way of living.)