Malacañang will propose a P1.54-trillion budget outlay for the 2010 General Appropriations Act which would be transmitted to Congress in the last week of August.

This was disclosed to the media by Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Friday after the Senate’s investigation into Cabinet officials’ alleged premature campaigning through infomercials.

According to Andaya, the proposed national appropriation for 2010 is eight percent of P115 billion higher than this year’s P1.415-trillion national budget.

The Palace will submit the proposal to Congress on Aug. 26, which Andaya said is within the Constitutional deadline or one month after the opening of Congress last July 27.

When further asked for details, Andaya said Malacañang only has a “general framework” so far.

He, however, could not say if the new budget would require additional tax measures.

“Yung additional tax measures — that will be an issue that has to be tackled and decided upon now,” Andaya said.

“We had the same problem in 1998, we’re seeing the same symptoms coming back so that it has to be addressed even by the next administration,” he said.

Earlier, some senators urged Malacañang to immediately submit to Congress its budget proposal for 2010 because of the possibility of passing a reenacted budget.