MANILA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Senate on Wednesday approved the 5.024-trillion-peso (99.8 billion U.S. dollars) national budget for 2022 that will fund programs to sustain the country's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a vote of 22-0, the senators approved the 2022 General Appropriations Bill on the third and final reading.
The approval paved the way for the Senate and the House of Representatives to convene in a bicameral conference committee to reconcile their versions.
The lawmakers will finalize the spending plan bill in the first or second week of December. They will send the final version to President Rodrigo Duterte for his approval and signature.
Senate Finance Committee chairman Sonny Angara said the 2022 budget will fund the health sector amid the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. "We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario," he said.
The Department of Budget and Management said earlier that the 2022 budget aims to "provide essential funding support to foster socio-economic recovery."
Part of the funds will fund programs to "safeguard and support" workers displaced due to the pandemic.
The Philippines continues to grapple with the pandemic nearly two years after the outbreak in January last year.
The country has reported 2,833,038 COVID-19 cases, including 48,712 deaths. Enditem
