The House of Representatives is set to start its hearings on the proposed P3.002-trillion national budget for 2016 on August 10, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said, even as he lauded the Department of Budget for the early submission of the  proposal.

Belmonte said the House would carefully examine the proposed budget  to ensure government programs and their allocated funds are justified. "We intend to scrutinize it carefully and do our proper job of acting on the 2016 national budget," said the Speaker, who sits as honorary chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP).

The proposed budget for 2016  is 15.2 percent higher than the P2.606 trillion  national budget for  the current year.

Based on allocation by department, the biggest budgets will go to the  Department of Education, P377.7 billion; Department of Public Works and Highways, P304.1 billion; Department of National Defense,  P154.1 billion; and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, P147.2 billion.

The  Department of Health will get  P102.6 billion; Department of Social Welfare and Development, P108.3 billion; Department of Agriculture, P90.2 billion; Department of Transportation and Communications, P59.4 billion; Department of Finance, P16.9 billion; Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P21.7 billion; and Department of Science and Technology, P18 billion.

Based on sector allocation, social services will get the biggest share of the budget pie at  P1.1059 trillion, which represents 36.8 percent of the proposed budget. It covers education, healthcare, housing and social welfare and employment.

Economic services will get second largest budget allocation with P829.6 billion, which is 27.64 percent of the proposed budget. These include transport and communications infrastructure.

General Public Services will get P517.9 billion, debt burden P419.3 billion, and interest payment P392.8 billion.