Cabinet members may face Senate grilling on 29 PH-China deals

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said on Thursday that Cabinet members may be questioned on the 29 deals signed by the government with China during the plenary examination of their respective agencies’ budget.

The deals were signed during the two-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.

READ: PH, China sign MOU on oil and gas development, 28 other deals

“If the Senate will start floor debates on the 2019 national budget next month, then the particulars of any or all of the 29 Philippine-China deals… may be asked of the Cabinet member who signed the deal, or whose agency is responsible for implementing the agreement,” Recto said in a statement.

“This is to serve notice to department secretaries that the issue of the 29 agreements may crop up in the course of the plenary examination of their budget. So be prepared for queries,” he said.

Recto said the Senate may ask if the agreement binds the government to a project which will be financed by loans, enlarges the national debt, or requires large budgetary counterpart requiring yearly appropriations.

“Is the project really needed by the people? Or is it supplier-driven?” he said, noting that a senator during a budget debate “may focus a powerful spotlight” on the deals. /ee