Yap confident 2022 nat’l budget won’t be delayed despite Avisado’s resignation

FILE PHOTO: ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap.

MANILA, Philippines — House appropriations committee chairperson Eric Yap has remained confident that the 2022 national budget will not be delayed despite the resignation of Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado.

Yap on Friday said the DBM-recommended national budget proposal for next year will be transmitted to the House of Representatives either on August 20 or 23.

“It’s sad news, dahil alam naman natin na si Secretary Wendel ay isang masipag na secretary kaya lang due to his health ay kailangan niya talaga magpahinga,” he said in a phone interview.

(It’s sad news because we know Secretary Wendel is a very hardworking secretary, but he needs to rest due to his health.)

“I am confident naman na kayang-kaya rin na ‘yung budget ay hindi siya maaantala dahil maraming competent na mga empleyado ang DBM,” he added.

(I am confident that the budget will not be delayed because there are many competent employees in the DBM.)

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday said President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted Avisado’s resignation and designated Budget Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda as the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the DBM.

Yap said the budget deliberations in the House can start three days after the DBM-proposed 2022 national expenditure plan is transmitted to them.

He said the House is eyeing to approve the proposed 2022 budget before the scheduled break in October as he also called on the executive department to certify the measure as urgent.

“Baka maging two weeks siya pero pinag-aaralan namin ng maayos ngayon kasi kailangan natin ng more time sa mga agencies tulad ng mga Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Yap said.

(Discussions may last two weeks because we need more time to scrutinize the budgets of agencies such as the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.)

“Syempre ‘yung mararaming questions, we should expect na marami tayong itatanong dyan and they should justify ‘yung budget nila,” he added.

(We should expect that there will be a lot of questions and they should justify their budgets.)