MANILA – The House of Representatives leadership assured the public that there will be no reenacted national budget for 2019.
“I don’t think so, I don’t think so,” was Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s reply when asked by reporters on the matter during her visit in Navotas City on Friday.
During Arroyo’s term as President, she had three reenacted budgets.
Asked when the budget will be transmitted, the House Speaker said it depends on House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya.
“Sila Nonoy Andaya ang namamahala doon, ‘yung Majority Leader. Pero nagkaroon na sila ng pre-bicam kahapon o noong makalawa,” she said.
In a statement, Andaya said the chamber is still double-checking and verifying the line items on the proposed national budget.
“We would like to convey our assurance to the Senate the 2019 national budget bill will be transmitted as soon as we are done with our rigorous double-checking and verification of the thousands of line items in a spending measure that will cost taxpayers almost P3.8 trillion,” he said.
He said the House and Senate have sufficient time in the legislative calendar to pass the budget and send it to President Rodrigo Duterte before the end of the year.
“We are reiterating our strong position against a reenacted budget because such will be hard to implement, will constrict spending, and will give wide latitude and discretion to the executive on what projects to implement,” he said.
He also said the House is committed to a budget that will be 100 percent compliant with the rules of Congress, with all the laws on budgeting, and with the jurisprudence on appropriations.
The House of Representatives approved the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 on second reading in October but has yet to pass it on third and final reading, and transmit to the Senate for deliberation.
On Thursday, Senator Panfilo Lacson exhorted the House to approve the budget bill, noting that the Senate only has less than a month to scrutinize it.
Congress will go on break on December 12.
Lacson, one of the vice chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Finance, warned against a reenacted budget if the House will delay its transmittal of the budget bill to the Senate.
“Kung masyadong delay paano kami makakapagdebate nang maayos sa plenaryo, kung ganun kaigsi yung oras because we are having our adjournment on December 12, ilang araw na lang ang matitira,” he said.
The Senate has conducted budget hearings at the committee level, but could not yet begin its plenary deliberations until the House-approved version of the bill is transmitted. Revenue measures such as the budget emanate from the House.
“Hindi kami makapagsimula ng plenary debates until and unless hawak namin yung GAB na House version,” he said. (GMA News/PN)
