Senate caps P5.76-T budget hearings

The Senate early on Tuesday morning terminated its marathon plenary debates on the General Appropriations Bill that proposes a P5.7680-trillion national budget for next year.

On the last day of the upper chamber's debates, which took place over two weeks, the Senate approved the proposed budgets of 16 government agencies, with the Commission on Human Rights' proposed P934-million budget the last to be tackled.

Sixteen of the 24-member Senate were present when the last question on the CHR budget was asked and answered — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, Deputy Majority Leader Mark Villar, Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Go, Grace Poe, Bong Revilla, Win Gatchalian and Robinhood Padilla.

During the nine days of hearings, Vice President Sara Duterte dropped her bid for P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she both heads.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance and Department of Information and Communications Technology also dropped their requests for secret funds next year.