Sotto: 2020 nat’l budget may not be signed before year ends
MANILA, Philippines — The proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020 may hit some delay and may not be signed by President Rodrigo Duterte before the year ends, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Saturday.
According to Sotto, the printing of the ratified budget will take some time before it reaches Duterte’s desk because of the holiday season.
“The latest will be January 6, 2020. ‘Yun ang suspetsa namin na pinakamabilis na matapos ang printing kasi may mga holidays (That’s our estimate date the printing will be finished at the fastest because there are holidays). Latest is Jan 6…but it could be earlier,” Sotto said in an interview over DWIZ.
As for the alleged “last-minute amendments” into the 2020 national budget, the Senate leader said he has already talked with Senator Panfilo Lacson and Acting Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado where they were able to reach an “understanding.”
“Pinirmahan ko sapagkat maliwanag na ‘yung usapan namin. Alam na ni Presidente. Kausap ko na si Sen. Lacson at si Sec. Avisado ng DBM. Maliwanag naman dun at alam na ni Presidente kung ano ‘yung lama ng 2020 budget so di na kailangan ng annotation o kahit anong sulat tungkol dun,” Sotto explained.
(I signed the budget because we have already talked about it. The President already knows. I’ve talked to Sen. Lacson and Sec. Avisado of DBM. It is clear that the President already knows the contents of the 2020 budget so there is no need for annotations or any correspondence.)
“What I can say is we have an understanding period. ‘Yun na ‘yun. Alam na ni Presidente ‘yun, (That’s it. The President already knows)” he added.
Lacson earlier said the House leadership realigned at least P83 billion worth of projects before the congressional bicameral conference committee signed the 2020 national budget.
Sotto did not divulge details of their supposed “understanding” but claimed that the President already knows what to do with the budget.
“I don’t think I’m authorized to tell you. May understanding na kami (We already have an understanding)… I’d rather not divulge baka may magalit pang iba,” he said.
