Zubiri: ‘Quite impossible’ for Senate to pass 2019 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate may adjourn its session this week without passing the 2019 national budget unless President Rodrigo Duterte calls for a special session during Christmas break.

At the very least, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate can finish the period of interpellations by Thursday.

“We only have until Thursday under our calendar and we will work on Thursday. We will do our best to finish the budget on Thursday at least to end the interpellations,” Zubiri told reporters.

“But mukhang hanggang dun na lang unless magpatawag si Presidente ng special session, hindi po namin matatapos ang budget on time,” he added.

Unless the President calls a special session, he said, the Senate will adjourn its sessions on Thursday.

“We’re trying our best but physically it’s quite impossible to finish it on second or third reading,” he said.

If they finish the period of interpellation by Thursday, Zubiri said the Senate can pass the 2019 national budget on third and final reading when Congress resumes its work on January 14, 2019.

The Senate and the House could ratify the budget bill by January 16 and have it signed by the President before end of the same month.

Zubiri said the only problem is that government projects could not be implemented once the election ban takes effect probably on the first or second week of February next year.

This is why, he said, the Senate is looking at amending the Omnibus Election Code to exempt the 2019 capital outlay from the election ban.

Congress, he said, can introduce a special provision in the budget or pass a joint resolution to make such amendment in the law.

“Hindi namin kasalanan ito dahil nagkaroon ng call for martial law extension,” he said, referring to the delay in the passage of the 2019 budget.

“Kasi kung walang martial law extension tapos na sana kami tomorrow then plano namin second and third reading sa Thursday,” he added.

On Wednesday, the Senate and the House of Representatives will convene a joint session to tackle the President’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao for another year or until December 31, 2019. /kga