Both houses of Congress ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee Report of the 2021 proposed national budget today, December 10, 2020.

The main focus was the allocation for vaccines against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the calamity fund. Hopes are high that the vaccines against the deadly virus will be available to the Philippines by next year and lawmakers assured that this will be well-financed.

Senator Sonny Angara disclosed that ₱72.5 billion have been allotted for the COVID-19 vaccine, ₱70 billion in unprogrammed funds, and ₱2.5 billion worth of programmed funds.

A budget will also be sourced from the Bayanihan 2, which aims to extend the validity next year worth ₱10 billion. In sum, it will be over ₱82 billion set aside for the vaccine alone. READ MORE