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Proposed 2021 national budget amid the pandemic: Finance Committee vice-chair Sen. Joel Villanueva, in his co-sponsorship speech on House Bill No. 7727, or the General Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2021, during the hybrid plenary session Tuesday, November 10, 2020 says the Senate has been doing its job with unprecedented speed to craft crucial fiscal measures that save lives and safeguard our economy. Villanueva said the measure is “arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation of Congress in history because this budget will determine the pace/trajectory of our economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.” The senator also enumerated his amendments to the proposed P4.506 trillion national budget which he said centered in the areas of employment recovery and reintegration, research and innovation, health, and education. “With these amendments to the 2021 national budget, we seek to promote the welfare of our current and future labor force, which has always been among the greatest strengths of the Philippines,” Villanueva said. (Henzberg Austria/Senate PRIB)