Senate approves P4.5T budget with more funds for vaccines, disasters

The Senate Finance Committee approved a P4.5-trillion 2021 budget bill with increased funding for vaccines and disaster response, prioritizing health and calamity spending due to the ongoing pandemic and recent disasters.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, committee chairman, emphasized that both climate change and COVID-19 are top priorities in the new normal.

The Senate officially sponsored the proposed 2021 budget bill on Tuesday, aiming for passage by November 24.