House transmits 2019 budget to Duterte
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2019 10:44:06 +0000
THE House of Representatives finally transmitted on Monday the printed version of the enrolled 2019 budget bill to President Rodrigo Duterte for his signature.
House Appropriations Chairman Rolando Andaya Jr. told reporters in a news briefing that a copy of the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) signed by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sent to Malacanang through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). A separate copy was also sent to the Senate for its perusal.
“I intend to send these to the Palace this afternoon. And copies for the Senate were already sent [today],” Andaya said, as he presented to the media a thick pile of documents, including the bicameral report and a list of budget itemizations made by the Senate. He, however, told the media that he would only present a breakdown of the details once Duterte signed bill.
The Senate accused the House of allegedly inserting last minute items into the 2019 budget despite its ratification last February 8.
Andaya reiterated that the Supreme Court ruling declaring as unconstitutional the pork barrel system and lump-sum appropriations for lawmakers was still legal as the budget has not undergone the execution phase.
“Ang bawal ho ay makialam ang sinong myembro ng kongreso sa post-enactment stage of the budget execution. Di pa po applicable ang kasong ito…ang sinasabi ng kasong ito, hindi raw po pwedeng makialam o magbigay ng detalye ang mga congressman pag napirmahan na ang budget at batas na ‘yan. Dapat malagdaan ng president at doon na po hindi pwedeng magbigay ng detalye ang mga mambabatas. Wala pa ho tayo sa puntong iyon,” he said.
(What is not allowed is for any member of Congress to interfere in the post-enactment stage of the budget execution. Such a scenario is not applicable here…what it’s saying is that congressmen are not allowed to meddle or itemize details once the budget is signed. The President should sign and from there, that’s when lawmakers are not allowed to itemize anymore. We haven’t reached that phase yet.)
In the latest Senate-House standoff, Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleged that Arroyo distributed P95 billion from the P3.8-trillion national budget even after the bill was ratified. Of this amount, P79.7 billion in infrastructure funds were supposedly realigned.
Andaya admitted to reporters last week that some 15-billion in lump sum funds were only appropriated for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), a portion of which would be delegated to House members whose districts were in need of medical equipment and hospital rehabilitation.
Defending the House, Andaya also said that the Senate should answer for its P25-billion realignment that was inserted in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.
When asked who should be accountable if ever the government ended up operating under a reenacted budget, Andaya maintained: “Definitely it’s not the House. We have done our job.”
Congress ratified the “pork-filled” P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 last February 8.
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