The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a joint resolution extending the validity of the 2019 P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 until Dec. 31, 2020 by a 199 vote.
The House in plenary session adopted House Joint Resolution 19 that extends the life of funds allocated for the maintenance and other operating expenses and for capital outlay under the 2019 budget.
House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez earlier said the House leadership will extend the validity of this year’s money measure following the months-long delay in its approval.
Similarly, the House passed on third and final reading the proposed postponement of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Voting 194-6, the House adopted the Senate version of the bill that postpones the barangay and SK elections to Dec. 5, 2022.
House Bill 4933 changed the date of the elections that is scheduled on May 11, 2020.
The last barangay elections were held in May 2018.
Last September, the House suffrage and electoral reforms committee approved the bill postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections from May 2020 to May 2023.
Congressmen who filed their respective versions of the measure welcomed the move of the committee and expressed optimism that Congress will be able to prioritize its enactment.
This developed as Speaker Alan Cayetano on Monday took oath of office to Marino Rep. Macnell Lusotan as the group’s second representative in Congress on November 4.
Marino earned two House seats after winning in the 2019 party-list elections.
Macnell, the group’s third nominee assumed the post of his fellow Marino party-list representative, Jose Antonio Lopez, who resigned from the party due to personal reasons.
He was removed from the roll of House members a month later.