House to resume budget hearings after Palace vows to restore cuts in education, health
THE House of Representatives is expected resume deliberations on the proposed P3.757 trillion budget for 2019 after the Executive department agreed to fund the cuts in education and health, Majority Leader Rolando Andaya, Jr. of Camarines Sur said on Wednesday.
Andaya said the agreement was reached among President Rodrigo Duterte, Speaker Gloria Arroyo and himself in a 30-minute meeting on Tuesday night.
“A compromise has been reached with the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) so we can move forward. There has been initial communication that we can source [the funding]for the much-needed departments such as the health and education sectors. I can now suggest to the Chairman [of the House Appropriations panel]that we now continue the budget hearing,” Andaya said in a news conference.
Rep. Karlo Nograles of Davao City heads the House appropriations panel.
“It (restored budget cuts) will be billions. The move was a gesture of cooperation. Knowing [Budget] Secretary Diokno, he’d rather be quiet in dealing with this,” Andaya said.
Aside from restoring the budget cuts in health and education, Andaya said that the DBM agreed that the obligated funds of agencies may be spent in one year and six months, which is a partial cash-based system instead of one year under a full on cash-based budget.
The House postponed budget deliberations last week since the cash-based proposed 2019 budget, which mandates agencies to spend all their obligated funds in a year or lose it, reflected drastic budget cuts in the Department of Public Works and Highways (P95 billion), Education department (P77 billion) and the Health department (P35 billion).
“Everybody can now rest easy. There is light at the end of the tunnel. There is a need to institutionalize cash-based budgeting but at the same time, we will give meaning to the promises made by the President,” Andaya said. LLANESCA PANTI
The post House to resume budget hearings after Palace vows to restore cuts in education, health appeared first on The Manila Times Online.