Heeding President Duterte's signal for its immediate passage, the House of Representatives on Thursday, September 30, passed on third and final reading the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2022.

The approval was made possible with Duterte certifying as urgent the measure on Wednesday, waiving the three-day requirement between the approval of bills on second reading and final reading.

Leaders of the lower chamber also promised swift deliberations on the bill since the executive department submitted its budget proposal last August 23.

A total of 238 Lower House members voted for its approval, while six opposed. None abstained.

House Bill No. 10153, which appropriates ₱5.024 trillion for the government's programs and projects for next year, is the Duterte administration's final budget bill before the May, 2022 elections.

The amount is also the largest in Philippine history.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, in justifying the President's certification, said the approval of the "pandemic budget" must not be delayed.

Opposing the approval of HB 10153 were Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers' Party List Rep. France Castro, Kabataan Party List Rep. Sarah Elago, and Bayan Muna Reps. Eufemia Cullamat, Ferdinand Gaite and Carlos Zarate, who were not convinced that the measure responds to the needs of the people amid the persisting COVID-19 pandemic.

They maintained that many of appropriations could be used for more pressing concerns, such as funding further the country's health sector, as well as interventions for other sectors affected and displaced by the pandemic.

"Sa House Bill No. 10153, nakita ang pagiging non-responsive nito sa kalagayan ng bansa...Ang pambansang badyet sa 2022 ay hindi tumutugon sa tunay na pangangailangan sa panahon ng pandemya (HB 10153 is non-responsive to the country's situation. The national budget for 2022 does not respond to the actual needs amid the pandemic)," Zarate said during his turno en contra on the budget bill.

Previously, the executive department touted that the education sector will get the highest allocation in 2022, with a total of ₱773.6 billion budget; while the health programs only placed fourth in the government's budgetary priorities, with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Insurance Corporation earmarked with only ₱242 billion.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) still enjoyed the favor of the Duterte administration, getting ₱686.1 billion for 2022.

Before its second and third reading approval, members of the House, like the previous year, decided to just create a small committee that would receive and look into individual amendments to the bill until October 5. The bill breezed through the period of amendments.

Among the issues raised by the Lower House members during the budget deliberations was the underutilization of 2021 appropriations, including those classified by the executive branch as "For Later Release", or those subject to vetting by implementing agencies and clearance from the Office of the President.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier said that some ₱192 billion from this year's budget remained unreleased and unspent. These consists mostly of funding for infrastructure projects introduced by lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the DOH requested for an increase in its budget for COVID-19 response, particularly for the provision of special risk allowances (SRA) and other benefits for health care workers.

The DBM allocated only ₱19.68 billion for the DOH for pandemic response, the DOH reported.

The lawmakers likewise noted the absence of a regular appropriation for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and medicines next year, with the ₱45-billion proposed fund for vaccine booster shots even waitlisted under the unprogrammed funds.

Minority congressmen also questioned the increase in the proposed budget for the controversial National Task Force to the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), from this year's ₱19 billion to ₱28.1 billion for 2022.

The progressive lawmakers also flagged the ₱4.5-billion confidential and intelligence funds requested by Duterte's office for next year.

House members, on the other hand, supported the restoration, if not raise, in the 2022 budget of the judiciary branch. The judiciary suffered a budget cut in the proposal submitted by the executive department, which would be a violation of the 1987 Constitution if enacted.

After the House has finalized its copy of the GAB, the measure will be transmitted to the Senate for further scrutiny. Committee hearings on the proposed budgets of government agencies are ongoing in the Senate.