The Department of Budget and Management said Tuesday it was aiming to submit to Congress the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 on Aug. 23, paving the way for congressional deliberations.
The 2022 budget is 11.5% higher than this year's P4.506 trillion, and is equivalent to 22.8% of the country's gross domestic product.
"Sa kasalukuyan, hinahanda na at fina-finalize na ng DBM ang Fiscal Year 2022 National Expenditure Program at iba pang related budgetary documents,"DBM ASec. Rolando Toledo said said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
The DBM said next year's budget was crafted to sustain the government's COVID-19 response programs through funding the procurement of test kits, continuous hiring for health, the establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines, among other health programs.
Other priority programs to be supported by the proposed 2022 budget include fiscal support for the free tertiary education law, the National ID system, and assistance to disadvantaged local government units.
It will also further invest in the Build, Build, Build program to boost economic recovery and provide a modernized public transport system.