President Benigno Aquino III’s proposed P1.816-trillion 2012 national budget was approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives Tuesday night.
Immediately after the roll call, Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Representative Neptali Gonzales II put forward House Bill 5023 for voting, calling it an urgent measure.
The proposed budget passed by a vote of 198-26 with a single abstention.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. called in the "earliest ever approval" of a national budget by the chamber and said the overwhelming vote to pass the appropriation was, "above all, a vote of confidence in the leadership of PNoy."
But Minority Leader and Albay Representative Edcel Lagman said lawmakers were deprived of the opportunity to pore over the amendments of the budget, adding that the final version was distributed to their offices only on Tuesday.
Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casino, one of those who cast a negative vote, said in his Facebook page that he did so because "gusto ko sana ng mas malaking budget para sa ating mga hospitals at health workers ... bawasan ang pondo sa CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer) program at ilaan na lamang sa education program (I wanted a larger budget for our hospitals and health workers ... reduce the fund for the CCT program and realign this to education)."
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