House Committee on Ways and Means chairman Del. Jonathan Isechal said that the panel has finished budget deliberation and will be reporting it out before the full membership of the house on Monday afternoon.
Isechal will not divulge the House version of the bill but said that by Tuesday it will be passed on third and final reading.The Senate earlier approved on third and final reading the proposed budget.The Senate version of the budget authorized the appropriation of an amount of $56,315, 718. The President Johnson Toribiong’s budget proposal was $55,809,000.The Senate however appropriated the sum of $53,709,000, same amount with President’s version.The measure also approved an increase of the president, vice president and ministers salaries but unless there are funds to pay the proposed increases.The proposed increase for the president’s salary is $100,000, $75,000 for vice president and $45,000 for the ministers, according to the Senate version.The Senate version proposed several cuts in the measure. In an interview, Toribiong said that he is reserving comment on the Senate version until both houses gas acted on it.The president said the version of the Senate has been described as “restrictive.”
