Manila Bulletin, Mar. 27, 2019, Sotto Signs Copy Of 2019 Gab With Reservations.pdf

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Sotto signs copy of 2019 ';ith i.5.J*utiottr' reservations' GAB'with cAB

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h" 2019 Ceneral Appropria- for20t9, breaking the ir fFl t Frhe20reGenerarAppropri.ii#f,ffi"X""#lr''i:';i:'J*13#"tf,li (GAB) is now of- the two Houses of ofcongress. Con ll I rtions 'tions Bill (GAB). nciaty ficia.lly enrotted enrolled for President "I already signed iie budget. Thefl I

L Duterte's signature. enrolled coDy is rlow enrolle{qoOy,.is now going to . ll signature. ttll Vi- ," "TIt:' ilftY ^on nresday. Sen"ate prlsident ...

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Budget impasse over... President. ButI placedmy reseryations on the sigrature,,,the Senate chiefan_ nouxcedin a press brieEng Tuesday.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Majority Leader Juan Miguel

Zubiri, and Senator pa.nfilo Lajson

were lvith him as he made the nouncement.

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Sotto said he has sent the en_ rolled budget bill to president Du. terte the same afternoon, along with a tetter expressing his reservations rn srgning the GAB due to allegations

about the supposed post_ratification realignments allegedly done bv the House of Representatives.

Unconstitutional In his annotation, Sotto told Du terte that he affixed his signature on the budget bilt.,with strong res_ ervations" as he said his app-rovat only covers ,,those items approved

Dy the tsicameral Conlerence Com_ m-lttee and ratified by both Houses ol L:ongress."

. He pointed out the supposed mternal realignments made bv the Lower Chamber to the governhent spending bill after jts ratification, specifically the reallocation of the P75. billion gf {und from the budget ot the.Department of publjc Works and Hlghways (DPWH).

"It is my view that it is uncon_ stitutional that p7s billion worth of programs/projects under the Local Infrastructure program of the Department of Public Works and Higb_ ways was funded through internal

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realignment, after the Bicameral

Conference Committee Reporl, was ratified," Sotto said in his letter.

ments. Sotto and Lacson said they rec_ ognize President Duterte's authority

over the cAB.

It i5 up [o the Chiei

The realigned funds, according

Execul.iveto approve or veto l,he sup_ poseo realtgnments by congressmen, Lacson said.

DPWH's asset, bridge, and network development programs, as wctll.as liom flood management, and convergence and support programs. .. In transmitting ihe enrolled biu,

proof that while we belong to different political persuasions in the Sen_ ate. pagdating po Ig kapakanan ng taon€ bayan, kami po ay nagkakaisi lor the interest of the country,,, Dri_

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to Sotto. were sourced from the

the Senate leader also attached a l5?-page list ccintaining pgs billion worth of programs or projects, includrng the p?s billion cut from the DPWH, funded from the House,s realignments..

"The presidelt nay wish to

consider disapproving these uncon_ stitutional realignment, pursuant to his constitutional power to veto par_ ticular-items in the General Appropiratios Bill,,' Sotto urged Duterte.

Breaking the impasse

he met Drilon. Zubiri, . Sotto sajd Lacson. Sen. Loren Legarda, and

Senal.e president pro_TemDore

Ralph Recto Monday night following lhe meeting of senators and congressmen on the budget. "W€ have the same thinkingtha ei us no longer delay more the issue and address it d.irectty,' he said.

The idea of signing the GAB with reservations was proposed by Drilon

and was agreed upon by l.he senators.

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The GAB he signed was the

same_

document earlier recalled by

the. House leadership, which Sotto clarmed contained the illegal realign-

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"The compromise solution is

Ion, lbr his part, said. "Because iI the deadlock remains,

at least 20 percenl, of th. g.ori domestic product coming from the public sector could not bJrealized,,,

he added

Drilon adds: "We proposed l,his language... in order that we maintain our position that these insertions are

unconstitutional, but at the same trme not prejudice national interest by holding on to the unsigned Gen_ eral Appropriations Act.,.

. The Senate minority leader,

who is.willing to lawyer ior Sotro, maintained that the Senate chief s signature should not be interpreted as an agreement with the House,s realignments. Lacson said the palace and the House of Representatives. through

San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo Zamoid,

has been informed of the Senate,s

move. Zamora also oflered to act as

legal counsel of Sotto should he be broxght to court for signing the 2019 budgel. Both Drilon and Zamora are bar topnotchers. (With a report lrom Mario B. Casa.yuran)