Diokno on reenacted budget: Gov’t can live with it

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno (File photo from the Presidential Photographers Division)

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Monday said the government could live with a reenacted budget after the House of Representatives turned down the proposed cash-based P3.757-trillon 2019 national budget.

Diokno said the Duterte administration would be “ready” if Congress does not approve the 2019 national budget.

“We are ready for any eventuality. We are always ready,” he told reporters in Malacañang.

The 2019 national budget is slightly lower than this year’s record P3.767 trillion.

READ: Duterte OKs P3.8-T cash-based budget for 2019

Diokno admitted that the government and Congress would both be “losers” in case of a reenacted budget but was quick to say that the government could live with it.

“Well, siguro pareho kaming (maybe we’ll both be) losers but we’re ready for a reenacted budget,” he said.

He said next year’s budget was lower than the current budget, adding he thinks “we can live with it.”

The budget chief said it puzzled him why Congress suddenly disagreed with a cash-based budget.

He even joked, “We’ll just wait for a friendlier Congress.”

Asked to clarify his statement, he said, “Remember, there’s an election in 2019.”

He assured the public that in case of a reenacted budget, the government would not use the funds for projects that would already be finished.

“Kung tapos na (projects), hindi mo na pwedeng pondohan ‘yon. Under a different term, siguro ginagawa nila ‘yon. Hindi namin gagawin ‘yon,” he said.

(If the projects are finished, you can’t use the funds anymore. Under a different term, maybe they did that. We won’t do that.) /je