(photo from Sen. Bong Go)
In a ceremony held in Malacañang, the President said he was “happy and proud” to sign the national budget and promised its efficient use to mitigate the adverse impact of pandemic on public health and the economy.
Republic Act No. 11518, or the General Appropriations Act of 2021, aims to bankroll the government’s operations, including enhancing efforts to respond to the pandemic and stimulate economic revival next year.
“I stand before you today happy and proud to sign the 2021 General Appropriations Act. This important piece of legislation attests to the importance of an active and fruitful collaboration between the Executive and the Legislative branches of government, especially at this time when the health and welfare of our people are at stake,” Duterte said in his remarks.
Bills extending Bangsamoro transition period to be tackled in January 2021
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 15) The House of Representatives will start deliberating on bills to extend the term of Bangsamoro Transition Authority officials in January next year.
At least three bills have been filed in the House seeking to extend the BTA’s term. House Special Committee on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Chairman Esmael Mangudadatu on Monday said the bills have been referred to his panel, as well as the House Committees on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, and Muslim Affairs.
The first regular elections for the Bangsamoro Parliament is slated for May 2022, in line with the national and local elections in the Philippines. Should the BTA extension bills become a law, the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be moved from 2022 to 2025.
House now has 30 deputy speakers
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 14) - The number of deputy speakers in the House of Representatives has increased to 30, just two months after Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco assumed the House leadership.
The chamber on Monday elected Cavite Rep. Strike Revilla as deputy speaker during the plenary session.
The deputy speakership is one of the top posts in the chamber. A deputy speaker has a voice and a vote in all committees.
Since Velasco took over last October, some allies of then Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano have been booted out of their posts as deputy speakers.