Hontiveros slams ‘political bullying’ of House after budget ratification

Sen. Risa Hontiveros. INQUIRER.NET PHOTO/CATHY MIRANDA

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros dissented the Senate ratification of the P3.757 national budget for 2019, pointing out the lapses of House of Representatives.

“I vote No, Mr. President, because, from the start, the [Department of Budget and Management] DBM handed Congress a deficient NEP, then the House of Representatives handed us an even more problematic Appropriations Bill,” Hontiveros said during a Senate session on Friday.

Hontiveros was referring to the National Expenditure Program which contains details of the government’s proposed projects and is submitted to assist Congress for deliberation of the proposed national budget for the next fiscal year.

The senator also slammed the “political bullying” of the House of Representatives, noting that the members of Congress could not explain some of the budget allegations.

“The events of the past weeks only showcased the brazen display of political bullying by a House that refuses to budge and explain the allocation of unconscionable amounts to certain favored geographic units without going through the usual evidence-based planning and budgeting process,” Hontiveros said.

This was after Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya revealed that senators would receive the bulk of the alleged P75-billion “pork” in the 2019 budget.

In a Philippine Daily Inquirer report, Andaya said 23 senators would get at least P3 billion each in government projects. He added that 292 congressmen would share the remaining P5 billion of P75 billion.

Hontiveros then said the budget lacked transparency in the budgeting process.

“This budget confirms the democratic deficit in our process that still allowed the old system of patronage and the lack of transparency in the budgeting process,” she said.

Aside from Hontiveros, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also voted against the ratification of the 2019 budget, saying that it was the most “toxic” budget that he scrutinized.

“In my 20 years of scrutinizing the national budget, I have never seen or felt an atmosphere as toxic as this year’s budget. Sa totoo lang, ang sakit po sa ulo ng budget na ito, Mr. President,” Drilon said in a privilege speech.

Drilon also said that if he approved the budget, it would be like signing a blank check.

“To give my vote to this budget is like signing a blank check. I simply cannot do that, Mr. President. It is on this note that I dissented from the conference committee report on the proposed 2019 General Appropriations Act and intended to vote NO to its ratification,” he said.

Earlier, Senate finally ratified the almost P3.8-trillion national budget for 2019 which drew controversy due to the alleged budget anomalies.

With 15 senators voting to approve the 2019 budget, only five were against it.

Specifically, those who voted against the budget bill were Senators Panfilo Lacson, Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, and Hontiveros.