Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo. (Photo from her Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives committee on appropriations vice chairperson and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo is confident that the proposed 2023 national budget will be passed on Wednesday, noting that the majority has the numbers.
Quimbo said during the Ugnayan sa Batasan briefing on Tuesday that the House has the numbers to pass the budget even if there would be motions from the minority to defer debates on an agency’s proposed funding.
The question was raised in anticipation of the budget debates for the remaining offices on Wednesday, which includes the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), wherein its budget was deferred in view of questions on its past spending.
Earlier, Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel also made a motion to defer deliberations on a budget of the National Youth Commission (NYC) if its incumbent chairperson, Ronald Cardema, would not resign from his post. But Quimbo said that motions would have to be voted by the House members in the end — and the majority has the numbers.
“So far parang, surprise kasi eh,” Quimbo said when asked if they are anticipating more deferments. “Well ‘yong NCIP hindi surprise because it happens almost every year, na nade-defer ang termination ng ano nila, ng debates. But minsan hindi ma-anticipate, right? So we’ll see tomorrow.”
(So far, it seems deferments can come as a surprise. Well, in the case of the NCIP, it was not a surprise because it happens almost every year that the termination of discussions on their budget gets deferred. But sometimes, we cannot anticipate it, right? So we’ll see tomorrow.)
“But anyway, we have the numbers. So just in case may motion at kailangan pagbotohan, panatag ang loob ko that the majority will deliver at ma-approve natin tomorrow,” she added.
(But anyway, we have the numbers. So just in case, there is a motion that members need to vote on, I am confident that the majority will deliver and we can approve the budget by tomorrow.)
Quimbo also claimed that discussions on the proposed budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which NYC is a part of, had already been terminated after Minority Floor Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan made a motion and allowed the laying down of Manuel’s motion to defer.
However, in the case of the NCIP, it would again need to face interpellators.
“Well ‘pag ganyan naman, in the end, pinagbobotohan naman ‘yan, right? So there was a motion to defer, but then ang nangyari kasi dito is the motion was laid on the table, in other words, hindi aaksyunan muna. And anyway, ang nangyari subsequently was that the Minority Leader moved to terminate the debate on the budget, so in effect, tapos na,” she explained.
(Well, in these cases, in the end, we divide the House and vote for it, right? So there was a motion to defer, but then what happened is that the motion was laid on the table, in other words, it would not be acted on yet. And anyway, what happened subsequently was that the Minority Leader moved to terminate the debate on the budget, so in effect, it’s done.)
“Ang nangyaring deferment was with the NCIP, so ‘yan, wala silang choice, babalik sila tomorrow, and hopefully matapos na ‘yong debate. But gayunpaman, in the end, pagbobotohan,” she noted.
(The only deferment that happened was with the NCIP, so in that case, they have no choice, and they would return tomorrow, and hopefully, this settles the debates. But in the end, whatever happens, we would vote upon it.)
The House is looking to pass the 2023 National Expenditures Program on Wednesday, to keep in line with its schedule of approving the proposed budget before Congress goes on a recess by October.
READ: House still on track to approve proposed 2023 budget by October
With President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent move to certify House Bill No. 4488 as urgent, the House can pass the General Appropriations Bill without adhering to the rule stating that three readings for the bills should be held on separate days.
READ: President certifies as urgent bill for proposed 2023 national budget
However, deferments may delay the budget deliberations. Earlier, Manuel claimed that Cardema should leave the office as NYC has supposedly failed to address corruption allegations, including observations made by the Commission on Audit (COA).
READ: Kabataan solon wants to defer Youth Commission budget if Cardema won’t resign
Then last Friday, deliberations on NCIP’s budget were ordered deferred after several lawmakers, including Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, raised issues against the agency — based on COA observations that NCIP was spending too much on conventions and gadgets.
READ: NCIP hit for alleged excessive spending; separate probe on agency sought