MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has instructed two members of the lower chamber to work with the Palace in crafting the national budget for 2021. Following the order, Deputy Speaker for Finance Luis Raymund Villafuerte and Rep. Eric Yap, who chairs the appropriations committee, met with Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado on Wednesday to discuss the budget. ADVERTISEMENTCayetano earlier said that the House and the DBM were considering a smoother process for the preparation and approval of the annual national budget by having the legislative and executive departments work closely together. In December 2019, the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) endorsed a budget of P4.6 trillion for 2021, a P500 billion increase from the 2020 budget. I think we can stick to that budget based on a reprioritization,” Villafuerte said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer April 15, 2020 19:34 UTC