Andaya: Senators free to tell Duterte to veto portions of 2019 budget

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. (File photo by EDWIN BACASMAS / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The senators are free to tell the President which part of the proposed national budget to veto if they feel that it is “constitutionally-infirm and legally-flawed,” House appropriations committee chairman Rolando Andaya said.

“If the senators really feel that the budget we have ratified is constitutionally-infirm and legally-flawed, then they can tell the President what specific portions and provisions to veto. And we will respect the presidential veto,” Andaya said in a statement on Sunday.

“That is his prerogative. Don’t take that right away from him. If the contested appropriations represent 2 percent of the national budget, then why should it jeopardize the uncontested 98 percent? Why hostage the national budget over unfounded and unreasonable fear?” he added.

This developed after Senator Panfilo Lacson claimed that Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly directed the realignments of P25 million from the Department of Health for her “favored” congressmen.

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

Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said that the House allegedly realigned some P79 billion under the ratified 2019 national budget.

READ: Sotto bares P79 billion realigned in 2019 national budget

However, Andaya said that the proposed 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) “contained lump-sum funds that need to be further itemized by both Houses” when it was ratified.

READ: Andaya: Nothing illegal in House move to itemize allocations under DOH budget

“That was the agreement at the conclusion of the meetings of the  Bicameral Conference Committee,” he said.

“The House did its part. We itemized our amendments. The people should ask the Senate if they did theirs. The itemization was within the parameters of the Bicameral Committee Report ratified by each chamber,” he added.

Andaya also stressed that the House “did not touch the tens of billions in Senate amendments” as it was agreed upon that it was their duty to do so.

He said that if they did not itemize their amendments, the budget would have been “vague” and “opaque.”

“Hindi kami natatakot sa isang budget na malinaw kung saang mga lugar at ahensya, at kung anu-ano  ang mga proyekto at mga programa ang popondohan,” the congressman said.

“Pero ano ba ang ikinatatakot ng mga senador sa itemized budget? As far as the House is concerned, we have all the records to substantiate our stand and the legal basis, as well as the established traditions and practices to back us up,” he added. /je