Sotto signs 2020 budget

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed the P4.1-trillion 2020 spending bill on Friday after he and Sen. Panfilo Lacson raised their concerns about last-minute insertions with President Rodrigo Duterte and Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado.

He said there would be a slight delay in the signing of the measure because its printing might take some time because of the holidays, but it could be signed into law by the President by the first week of January at the latest.

Sotto said he signed the bill after he and Lacson reached an understanding with the President and Avisado but he declined to specify what the agreement entailed.

“Whatever action the executive department does, that’s on them,” he said over dwIZ, noting that the executive department would be the one to decide whether to release funds for certain projects.

Lacson, for his part, said he submitted to Sotto, Avisado and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea a list of budget items he found to be questionable.

“I leave the fate of the national budget to their appreciation as it is purely presidential prerogative,” Lacson said in a text message.

In a separate radio interview, he said he would continue to keep tabs on the implementation of the budget by exercising his powers of oversight on some project funds, ranging from P16 billion to P83 billion, that were inserted by lawmakers at the last minute.

Lacson objected to some lump sums and vaguely described projects, which he feared might not be implemented properly, and projects in different areas that were given the same amount although there were varying conditions.

He had lamented that “pork is here to stay,” but said he was hoping the President would veto these items.

Malacañang responded that the President would veto any item found to be unconstitutional.