Malaya, Apr. 2, 2019, Senate, House Continue Bickering Over Budget.pdf

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- . TUESDAY APRTL 2, 2019

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Senate, House continue bickering over budget I

BY WENDELL VIGIUA

and RAY IOND AFRICA SENATORS and congressmen are still bickering ovet last minute changes made in the proposed P3.757-ttillion national

budget for 2019 evcri if the measure has been submitted to Malacaflang for President Duterte's signature. Rep. Rolando AndayaJr (?PD-Laban;

Camarines Sur), chat of the House appropriations committee, took exception to the Senate's allegation that the amendments intoduced by congressmen in the bicametal conference committee meetings will derail the implementation of President Duterte's priofity pfogfams,

particulady "Build, Build, Build" projects. "It is the Senate that may find itself liable to accusatioq of sabotage when it decided, unilaterally, to cut down the

allocation for the President's Build, Build. Build Ptogram aod other prioriry projects," he said, Andaya said details of the reductions were oot fully discussed in the bicameral conference meetings because "selatots unilaterally decided oo the budget cuts and realigned them to other items based on request of individual ptoponents." "Up to now, the Senate has yet to make public a detailed report on the proponents who recommended the individual realignments," Andaya said.

\\

Aedsuti€ (1)

Senatc President Vicente Sotto III said the accusation that the Senate introduced

and veto the "unconstitutional" tealign ments, iucluJing the P75 billion which is

budgct cuts to government proiects is mcant to prevent President Duterte ftom vetoing tealignments made by the

part

Lkrusc after the Genetal Appropriations Bill (GAB) was tatified by the bicametal

Prcsidcnt Dutertc. Thc Scnatc lcarned of the rcalignments

confcrence committee on Februaty 8. "lt! a last.diLch effort to obfirscatc rhe issue and u) lo Prevent tlre Prcsident's veto of theit illegal tealignments. Even their colleagues kno'* No excuses necessary because the President knows everphing," Sotto said. Sotto signed the budget measure last

to the GAB after at least 62 congtessmen complained fiat budger appropriations f,'r dreir districts were slashed in favor oI congressmen close to SpeaLet Gloria Artoyo. The House has been saying no realigo ments were made and congressmen only itemized lunip sum appropriations. Sen. Panfilo Lacson last week said the

v'eek "with strong resetvauons." He has left it to the President to rcvie'w

See

NeLlr,/

of

a total

of

P95 billion worth

of

realignments. The measure is still being reviewed by

I

SENATE) Page83

Nx'r PAes PL'{' ' -2

.

SENATE

railway systems, will be mostly

implementation of the administration's infrastructure progia.r]os

affected," he said.

and transfetted leave credits

Andaya noted that P3 billion for scholarship of rebel retuinees, out-of-school youths and rehabi.litatiry &ug dependens errolled

those devolved to the LGUs.

under t}Ie Universal Access to Tertiary Education was also removed from dre budget of the Technical Education and Skjlls Development Authority ([ESDA) and as a rcsult, at least 320,000 students enrolled uoder the program will lose their sctrolarship this year. From the budget of dre Departmeot of Eovironment and Natual

Lacson said tie affected congressmen were forced to squeal about the post-bicam tealignments because their coogressional distiicts were adversely affected by the budget cuts. 'The infighting brought about by the 'spoils fot the victors' actually exposed dee indiscretions of t}te House leadership in whimsi-

Resources, P2.254 billion for National Grceoing Program was a-red, 'lvhich tesulted in 50 percent budget cut fol all PENROS (ftovincial En

cally realigning pork insertions even aftet the ratification of the

might be affected after ttre House

tealigned some P75 billioo in Department of Public Work

a.od

Highways (DPWF! tunds for the Build program when coogressmeo iremized lump-sum items e\Eo a1:er tle tatification of the bicameol cooitreoce committee reporl -\adaya said the House respecls Se President's veto power "aad we. are coovinced that he will exercise such autloriw fot the beoe6t of rle oation and of our people." He said the House never made a move to r:educe the 2019 budget

for infrastucture projects as appropdated in the National Expenditue Ptogram Q.iEP) and even iotroduced amendments increasing ttre budget for infrasttucture proiects without breaching the total

vironment and Natural Resources Of6cer) except Antique."

Andaya said the Department Foreign Affairs lost its P7.5 bilLion budget for the Southeast Asian Games after P5 billion .vas

of

aoount pegged by the NEP 'This would allow the Executive Departrnent to spur economic

ttansfered to Philippine Sports Commission "and P2.5 billion

grovrh duough increased public expenditute. !7e made sute, however, dat such amendments will pass the test not only

of

ald legality but

also

a.nd

nowhere to be fouad." Andaya said the Miscellaneous Personnel Beneft Fund, which is one of thtee sources of money paid to governmenr petson4el Jost P t 3.4 bilhon $ hile P]9 b,llib.r r.a. ul<en out of t}te Pension Gratuity Fund which cosers the parment for the follos-ing: pension of AFP redrees; \r'aa or m .iary veterans of the defense department; retired uniforoed persomel of the DILG, PC N?, N,\MRIA and Pbilippine Coast Guard; and othet retirees of t}re oational government. It aiso indudes the budget for

constitutionality

of transparency accountabiJity," he said.

Andaya expressed coo6deoce

dat the Of6ce of the President sould also review the Senatet amendments "and find ways oa horr to restote tlem in the Presi dert! seto message." .SENATE REALIGNMENTS' The re'.eraa la*'rnaker identified de tollcqiosiems as among those takeo out of de 2019 GAB by the Seoate P5 bdiion rbr right-of-way

rettement benefits for optional retirees

projecs urder de Department of Ttaosportadoo- P 11.033 billion f61

tight-of-sar proiects,

govern,

local government r:nits (LGUs); separation beoefits or incentives of affected personnel pursuant to

and P2.5

billioo foreiga-assisred plojects under the DPNHAndaya said deprisiog &e gorernment of fuo& fol righl,ot:s-ay

and other infrrsrructure projecs "will surely hamper the implemeotation of rhe Presideot's Build, Build, Build Prograrn." "Consauctioo on ptiotiq projects, iocluding mass ttansit and

of the national

meng retircd personnel of GOCCs which are Gaaocially uaable to pay the bene6s; personnel devolved to

of

INFIGHTING

bicam report. The continuing batde for pork has not only made the situation vrorse for them. It is actually becoming ugliet " he said. "On a positive note, this is good for us and the Filipino taxpayers since it could make it easier for Malacaiang to discern when the President exercises his Line item veto authodty." I-acson said he was the main pro,

ponent of most of the budget cuts "which I did onlv upon the requests or concurrence of the agelcies.'1 He said among dre 'lpork 'iderih6ed in the proposed budget were the P75 bilJion part of the budget of the DP$?H, another P20 billion for the DPWH right of way projects, P16 billion of tle DILG in the form of financial assisance to loca.l govemment unis, and dre P23 billion realigned by some senators. He said the budget slashed rvete

diveted to fund the Health Enhancement Facilities Progtam, activation of Philippine Armyh 1

1th Infantry Division, purchase

of

medicines for the Vetenns Memotial Medical Center "and other insti tutional amendments and thetefore should not be regarded as potk." He, however, said he did not sign the bicam teport because he knew tlat the proposed budget was still

the implementation of restructuring of agencies affected by thi htegration aad automation of the

potkJaden.

Budget Treasurr and Management System and the operationalization

pork, thus my dissenting vote on its rati6cation," he said.

of

the Tteasurt Single Account; arrd rightsiiing, merger, stream-

\

national govetnment personnel

Iiaing, abolition or privatization, monetization of leave credits of

"I

of

the presence

of

The realignments were discovered by the Senate's Legislative Budget Reseatch ard Monitoring

Ofice.

4raputile /t/aLr,, G2)

was aware