The House of Representatives will be transmitting on Tuesday the approved copy of the ₱4.506-trillion 2021 General Appropriations Bill to the Senate.
“We increased the allocation for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines by more than three-fold to cover more Filipinos. We also provided extra allocation for the facilities enhancement program of the Department of Health to help improve the country’s health care system,” House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco stated.
“The House-approved version of the budget also has additional funding for the Department of Labor and Employment to aid workers displaced by COVID-19 and for the Department of Social Welfare and Development for another round of financial assistance to families affected by the pandemic,” Velasco added.
The move of the Lower House to transmit the GAB is a day earlier than its promised deadline.
Meanwhile, the committee report on the investigation on the alleged corruption within the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) approved the recommendation to file charges against Health Sec. Francisco Duque III and other officials allegedly involved in PhilHealth corruption. – Report from Daniel Manalastas
