Senate Hall. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senators last night voted 13-0 to approve on third and final reading the proposed P2.606-trillion national budget for 2015.
The senators also introduced amendments to the budget measure, House Bill No. 4968, including additional realignments amounting to P4.756 billion.
These were on top of the P91.8-billion realignments earlier approved by the Senate finance committee after several hearings.
The Senate panel would meet with their counterpart from the House of Representatives on Tuesday for the bicameral conference committee to reconcile their versions.
The Senate’s major amendments included the deletion of the P53.9 billion for the buyout of the Metro Rail Transit, and the allocation of P30 billion in unprogrammed funds and P20 billion in programmed funds for rehabilitation.
Sen. Francis Escudero, finance committee chair, said no MRT passenger would benefit from the buyout.
“This is in accordance with the proposal of Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery which said they need additional more or less Php50 billion for next year,’’ he said of the P50-billion rehabilitation fund.
The senators incorporated several special provisions, including one penalizing heads of departments for their failure to submit reports on lumpsum funds, among others, Escudero said on the floor.
They put in a similar provision in the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission, saying that funds for athletes should be used solely for them.
Funds should also be made available for non-members of national sports associations competing for the country even in events not sanctioned by the Philippine Olympic Committee, they said.
In yet another such provision, the senators required the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to consult heritage agencies and other stakeholders for any construction that might impinge on heritage sites.
They also allowed the National Museum, National Historical Institute and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to use their income to maintain existing heritage sites and facilities.
The senators also mandated the Land Transportation Office to pay its obligations in contracts it had entered into.
They also allowed the Departments of Health, DPWH, Department of Transportation and Communication, and Department of Education to use their quick response funds to procure insurance policies to cover infrastructure facilities and other equipment in danger zones.
The senators also adopted the backtracking of accomplishments of various agencies, WiFi Internet access in public facilities, and the designation and disaggregation of lumpsum items.
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