House withdrawing its version of 2019 budget – Lacson
Credit to Author: cbibe| Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2019 03:34:56 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — The leadership of the House of Representatives (HOR) has agreed to recall its version of the 2019 national budget, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Monday.
Lacson said the decision of the House leadership was relayed to him by San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, who confirmed to media the senator’s disclosure.
The House, according to Zamora, would recall its version of the budget bill within the day.
“Yesterday he (Zamora) gave me a call and he said meron nang approval ang HOR leadership na ire-recall nila today,” Lacson said in an interview in Taguig City.
“And it bears watching if they will really withdraw their version of the enrolled bill today. And then from there we will move forward,” he said.
The House has already transmitted to the Senate its version of the budget bill even after it was already ratified by both chambers last February 8.
But the Senate described the House’s move as unconstitutional, saying no changes could be made after a bill was already ratified by Congress.
The House leadership argued they had to itemize the ratified budget because it supposedly contained lump sums from the Senate.
Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stood by the House version of the budget bill. /cbb
“It’s the same process that was done even before I was Speaker ever since the Supreme Court ruled that lump sums are unconstitutional. We cannot agree to a lump sum,” Arroyo said.
She said the House would never put the President “in a position of signing an unconstitutional bill.”
The government will continue to operate based on the 2018 budget unless the new appropriation is transmitted to President Rodrigo Duterte for signature. /cbb