Senators defend ‘institutional amendments’ in 2019 national budget

Sen. Ralph Recto (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Senators defended on Saturday the institutional amendments in the proposed 2019 P3.8 trillion budget.

“Alam mo kanya kanyang advocacy yan para sa akin lahat yan amendments. Tawagin mo nang kahit anong pangalan yan. amendment yan at karapatan yan ng lahat ng taong bayan na magamiyenda,” Senator Ralph Recto said over DWIZ.

“Pwede mong tawaging insertion, pwede mong tawaging amendment. Ang tawag sa parliamentary procedure amendment lahat ng senador may amendment lahat ng congressman may amendment,” he added.

This was after COOP NATCCO Rep. Anthony Bravo pointed out that Senator Panfilo Lacson’s allegations might be motivated by revelations that senators inserted their own amendments amounting to billions of money in the proposed budget.

“If the amendments come from the House, Senator Lacson brands them as pork. But if the amendments come from the Senate, they call it institutional amendments. What a hypocrite!” Bravo said.

READ: House leader calls Lacson hypocrite for pork insertion claims

Recto explained that senators and congressmen could help allocate funds for projects in their hometown but these amendments in the national budget could still be vetoed by the President.

“Ang senador may mga hometown, may mga home provinces. Maraming lumalapit diyan sa senador, maraming lumalapit sa Congressman na nag-fofollow up ng community-based projects lalo na sa kani-kanilang hometown,” he said.

“At the end of the day, lahat naman yan pinagbobotohan at kung masama ang project na yan pwedeng i-veto ng ating Pangulo pwede ring ‘di i-resist ng ating Pangulo,” he added.

However, Lacson said these requested projects must be consulted first with concerned agencies before being implemented to avoid “arbitrary or whimsical” amendments.

“May lumalapit nga sa kanila [senators] na mayors, governors na humihingi ng proyekto ok lang naman na pagbigyan pero magconsulto sa mga ahensiya na mag-iimplement,” Lacson said over DWIZ.

“Kung initiative ng senador o kongresista dapat makipagugnayan sa mga ahensiya. Kung nangyari yun walang problema dun. Ang masama kung wala man lang consultation dun kosinasabi nagiging arbitrary o whimsical yung amendments,” he added.

Sen. JV Ejercito also said over DWIZ that he placed amendments in the budget for the Department of Health (DOH) to upgrade government hospitals.

“May insertion ako dito P24 billion. Pero ang insertion na yun ay institutional dahil alam mo namang pinaglaban kong matagal na yung health facility program ng DOH dahil ayaw natin maantala yung recruitment and rehabilitation at upgrade ng mga government hospitals all over the country,” he said.

“So kung meron man ako, I am speaking for myself kung meron man akong insertion ay para ho naman ito sa Department of Health na talagang kailangang kailangan po,” he added. /jpv