After Palace’s appeal, Senate eyes approval of 2019 budget before yearend

On Malacanang’s request, the Senate leadership is now ready to “work double time” and do its “best efforts” to approve the 2019 national budget before the end of the year.

Just last week, senators agreed not to be rushed to approve the budget.

READ: Senators won’t rush OK of 2019 budget over ‘insertion’ worries

But after meeting with Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno at the Senate on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters that the budget could be passed and ratified before Congress goes on Christmas break on December 14.

“There’s an appeal from Malacanang and all agencies if we can approve the budget before January 1 of 2019,” Zubiri said.

“So ang plano namin, ang counter proposal namin is to work double time (So our plan is to work double time),” he said.

Zubiri said the Senate can start its plenary deliberations by December 4 and have it approved on second and third reading between December 10 to 12.

“Hopefully, we can ratify by December 13,” he said.

If the budget is not approved by end of 2018, Zubiri said many projects might be delayed or might not be enforced because of the election ban in February.

Senate President Vicente Sotto agreed that the budget could be approved before the year ends but only if the Senate will rush its interpellation.

“Yung signing ng President, kaya hanggang December 31 (The president still need to sign it so our target is December 13),” Sotto said in another interview.

He said the request of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is not to have a reenacted budget in 2019.

Meanwhile, Senator Loren Legarda said she wants the budget passed within the year to avoid a reenactment even for the first month of 2019.

“Best efforts,” Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said in another interview.

She noted that the Senate only received the General Appropriations Bill from the House of Representatives last Monday.

“As the chairman of the committee of finance, I want the budget to be passed and to be signed by the President within the end of December to avoid a reenactment even just for one month. Best efforts,” Legarda said.

If her colleagues would agree, she said she is even willing to work until December 19 or even the week after the Christmas break. /ee

READ: No to reenacted budget: Diokno tells Congress ‘duty first before leisure’