2019 budget may be ratified by Wednesday — Castro

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed P3.8-trillion budget for 2019 is expected to be ratified by Congress before it adjourns on Wednesday, according to House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro.

The Senate and the House of Representatives have an “understanding” regarding the ratification on the 2019 budget, Castro said during the Saturday Forum at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City.

Castro said, however, that the understanding is not a form of “agreement” between the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“Hindi ko po sasabihin na may agreement o may kasunduan. Mayroon lang pong understanding ang members ng House of Representatives at Senado na maaaring matapos ang usapin sa budget ng 2019 nitong susunod na linggo,” he said.

[I won’t say it’s an agreement or a deal. There’s just an understanding between the members of the House of Representatives that they could finish the discussion of the 2019 budget this coming week.]

Castro also said that the discussion of the 2019 budget continued to be on hold because there were misunderstandings between the two chambers of Congress.

“Hindi po lingid sa kaalaman ng mga House members dahil sa pagbubuklat nila nitong proposed budget, na ang mga kasapi ng Senado ay ayaw magbigay kung ano ang kanilang amendment na in-introduce sa appropriations bill for 2019 ng ating bansa. Ayaw po nilang ibigay kung ano at magkano ang halaga ng kanilang ipinasok dito sa proposed 2019 budget,” Castro said.

[The House members, because of their scrutiny of the proposed budget, are aware that Senate members have refused to say what amendments they will introduce in the appropriations bill for 2019. They refuse to tell us what and how much funding they will introduce in the proposed 2019 budget.]

According to Castro, the Senate has P190 billion worth of amendments in the General Appropriations Bill, P50 billion of which was proposed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Despite the ongoing controversy on the budget, Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., appropriations committee chair, said in an earlier interview that the House was ready to “own up” and specify their amendments in the proposed P3.8-trillion national budget.

READ: House ready to ‘own up’ amendments, insertions in 2019 budget – Andaya

Lacson earlier said that that members of the House were getting P160 million worth of projects in the spending bill approved by the House.

READ: Lacson: Pork per House member increased to P160 million

However, COOP NATCCO Rep. Anthony Bravo defended the House from Locsin’s allegations, even calling the senator a “hypocrite.”

Bravo denied that the proposed P160 million worth of projects were pork.

READ: Bravo defends House from Lacson’s ‘pork’ allegations

Lacson downplayed Bravo claims, described them as “pathetic assertions.” /atm

READ: Lacson claps back at Bravo: Those are ‘pathetic assertions’