Both chambers to be blamed for delay in 2019 budget — Bravo
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III should not just blame the House of Representatives for the delayed approval of the 2019 budget as both chambers of Congress contributed to its set back, Coop Natcco Rep. Anthony Bravo said Friday.
Bravo, who is part of the congressional bicameral conference committee that reconciled the House and Senate versions of the budget, said the House had urged the Senate to transmit the spending bill to the President and just let him veto questionable portions.
“Ang panawagan namin noon i-proceed na sa President then let the president decide using his veto power… Lahat naman ituturo sa atin eh para lang sila ang pogi,” the partylist lawmaker said in an interview.
“Hindi lahat dapat ibunton ang sisi sa House of Representatives, parehas po ‘yung Senate and the House mayroong alam kung nagkaroon man ng delay,” he added.
Bravo nonetheless admitted that the House failed to transmit the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) to the Senate on time in its effort to fix the “insertions” made by the Executive Branch.
“Merong pagkukulang in the sense na hindi agad naipasa nung last quarter of 2018 kasi ang target sana December… (dahil) marami pong dapat himayin, may insertion pong ginawa ang Executive,” he said.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia earlier blamed Congress’ bickering over the P3.8 trillion national budget to the slow growth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Sotto then pointed at the House budget version which was allegedly riddled with “unconstitutional realignments.”
READ: Budget delay due to row over pork slows down growth
The House approved the GAB on Nov. 20, 2018, but both chambers managed to ratify it on Feb. 8.
The delay in the passage of the 2019 General Appropriations Act was due to the exchange of “pork” allegations between the House and Senate.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the expenditure plan on April 15, but Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said the Chief Executive vetoed some P93.5 billion that was “not within the programmed priorities.”
READ: Duterte signs 2019 national budget; vetoes P95.3B | House respects Duterte veto of P95.3-B infra funding – Castro
This came after Sotto had asked the President to veto some P75 billion worth of local infrastructure programs which he said was “unconstitutionally” realigned by the lower chamber after the budget bill was ratified.
READ: Sotto signs budget, seeks Duterte veto of House changes
House appropriations committee chair Rolando Andaya Jr. had been insisting that they only itemized the amounts agreed during the bicameral conference committee phase of the budget process. /muf
