Medialdea: Duterte to work on 2019 budget after his birthday

President Rodrigo Duterte chats with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea in one of the events of the President. KARL NORMAN ALONZO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO (File)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte would start reviewing the enrolled P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 after his birthday on Thursday, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said.

“Pwede celebrate muna natin ang Pangulo ng birthday niya bukas saka natin patrabaho ulit,” Medialdea told INQUIRER.net in a text message.

(We should let the President celebrate his birthday first tomorrow before he works on the budget.)

Congress has submitted to Malacañang a copy of the 2019 General Appropriations Act after Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday said he already signed the budget with “strong reservations.”

READ: Sotto signs 2019 national budget with strong reservations

Medialdea said Malacañang received a copy of the enrolled bill on Tuesday night.

The passage of the 2019 budget has been delayed after the Senate and House could not agree over alleged insertions and questionable allocations.

A stalemate ensued even after the budget was ratified over allegations of last-minute realignments.

On Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters in Malacañang that Duterte would sign the budget if it’s “consistent with the Constitution” otherwise he would use his power to veto,

READ: Duterte to ‘review’ 2019 budget once transmitted to Palace

“The President says he will not sign anything that is unconstitutional as far as he is concerned,” Panelo said. /jpv