Philippines: House passes budget, seeks to abolish CHR, ERC, NCIP – 13 Sep 2017

  • The House of Representatives on 12 Sep 17 night approved the proposed PHP3.8tr 2018 national budget on second reading, but not after giving three agencies just PHP1,000 each – a minuscule funding that will effectively shut down the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
  • Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said the final and third-reading approval would take place after a week or two “after the budget is printed with all the amendments.”
  • To expedite the 2018 budget approval, President Duterte certified the budget proposal as urgent.
  • A bill that is certified as urgent usually urges the House or Senate to put the proposal on second and third-reading votes on the same day. Without the certification, lawmakers would have to wait for three days after the second-reading approval before taking it up for third reading.

External Link : http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/09/13/1738678/house-passes-budget-seeks-abolish-chr-erc-ncip

13-Sep-2017