Lawmaker to Malacanang: Ask House to transmit 2019 budget bill now

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang should urge the leaders of the House of Representatives to promptly transmit the ratified 2019 budget bill for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday.

He said that since it is the responsibility of the Executive branch to execute the projects, it should exert effort to have the budget bill signed by the President as soon as possible.

“Sila (Executive branch) na yung may responsibility to execute the projects. So I think the Executive should now exert effort na ilabas na itong budget, mapirmahan na ng Presidente, at ma-execute na ng mga ahensya,” Gatchalian told reporters.

(It is the Executive branch’s responsibility to execute projects.  Hence, I think the Executive branch should exert extra efforts to have the budget signed.)

He added that the Executive can call on the leadership to finish the paperwork and transmit the official copy.

“They (Executive branch) can call the leadership and tell them na tapusin na itong mga paperwork and to transmit to us already the official copy,” Gatchalian said.

(They can tell the House to complete the paper work and transmit the same to Malacanang.)

The Senate and the House ratified the proposed P3.7 trillion 2019 budget last February 8.

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier alleged that Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the realignments of P25 million from the Department of Health (DOH) to  her “favored” congressmen.

READ: Lacson: Arroyo realigns P25M budget to ‘favored’ solons

Gatchalian warned of a “constitutional impasse” if it is proven that the House amended the budget and their version of the bill differed from that of the Senate.

“Strictly speaking, they cannot touch the budget anymore because it has already been ratified by both houses,” Gatchalian said.

“For example, may pinalitan tapos wala sa records natin dito, that will create problems, actually that can create a constitutional impasse kung iba yung sa kanila at iba yung atin,” stressed Gatchalian.

(If they changed something that is not reflected in our records, that will be problematic, if the house and Senate have different versions.) / gsg