House budget hijack barred
Frun pagc I Sotio said rhc Senale alreadll
PHI.|PPINES I MONDAY
House Uuaget triiack barred
The House of Representatives proppsed national budget if the
is determined to hijack the 2019 House insists on amendments it
budget for multibillion-peso pork introduced.
barrel, but the attempt won't get
past President Rodrigo Duterte
who will settle for a rePlaY of
last year's budget until August
when a riew Congress reoPens,
two senators said yesterdaY.
It won't even hurdle, the
Senate. Senate President Vicente
Sotto III said he had informed the
President about the Senate stand
not to sign the P3.767 trillion
" T^1,
H MARCH 2019
' /n enrolled bill if the amendments
sotto said he had a brief
conversation with Mr. Duterte
during last week's official visit
of Malaysian Prine Minister
Mahathir Mohamad.
nAs
far as we are concerned'..
our stand is as much as Possible
the llouse should [ransmit what
we have ratified,' Sotto said.
uln case there x'as a change
lum b Nge 6
t,
Fr\qe "
in the cont€nt, that is another matter.
They will be liable for that," he added.
The Senate President is optimistic
the President understands the Senate
position.
"I am sure that the Presideni
understands my position," he said.
Sotto malntained thai tinkering wiih
the ratified budget measure is against
the Constitution.
Beplay until AugUst
The reenacted budget will remain
until August this year since the Senate
will not sign the present form, Sen.
Panlilo Lacson said.
"Ihe Senate will be firm in not signing
were not tackled in the bicameral
conference," Lacson told Super Radyd
dzBB in an interview.
"All indications point to the country
having a reenacted budget atr least until
August. So, we are preparing and ifthey
insist on what they did by revising the
budget that was agreed On-during the
bicameral conference, it x/ill not be
signed in the Senate," he added.
Lacson 'I'arned a continu o us
reenacted budget would have dire budget.
consequences on the economy.
IIe said senators have aheady talked
to Finance Seuetary Carlos Dominguez
about th€ negative implications of a
reenacted budget until August.
Source of trouble
"It's a violation of the Constitution.
I don't want that after 2022 or even
next year, I will have a case because I
certified a wrong General Appopriations
Act (GAA),' the Senate President said.
'He (M1. Duterte) will suppori what
is right,' he added.,
informed the Execulive departmenll
particularly Finance Secretary Carlo*
Dominguez, former Budget Secretary
and now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinay
Governor Benjamin Diokno, Cabineh
Secretary Karlo Nograles and Executive
Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
awe asked the Executive
depafimenll
if they can talk t0 the leadership of thQ,
House and, ifpossible, maintain what we
have discussed," he added.
Just doing job
The Housp members maintained their
position thal ihey are just doing their
job to prevent "an opaque and vague
2019 GAA' and the Senate should not
hostage the budgei due to 'unfounded
and unreasonable fear.'
Tinkering with the ratified
budget measure is against the f
Constitution.
House Appropriations Committee
Chairman Rolando Andaya Jr-
explained they jusi itemized the P3.8:
trillion budget and the people should
ask the Senate if they did their pari
aheady in specifying the items in the
'The itemization was within the
parameters of the Bicameral Committee
Repoft ratified by each chamber. The
Ilouse did not touch the tens of billions
in Senate amendments because, per
agreement, it was their duty to do such,'
Andaya said in t statement.
'If the senators really feel thaL
lhe budget we have ratjfied is
c 0nstitutio nally-infirm and legally'ilalcd,
then th€y can tell the President what specific.
poftions and plwisions to yeto. And we will
respect the presidential veto," Andaya
dared. luJlll with HBordeV