ADOPTING Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto’s amendment, senators agreed to set aside P68 billion in the proposed 2019 national budget to bankroll unfunded laws set for enactment, including Universal Health Care, Bangsamoro, rice tariffication and the Coconut Modernization Law.
In moving to amend the budget bill, the Senate version provides funding for these new laws that were not yet passed when the Executive crafted the 2019 budget proposal for Congress’s consideration.
In a statement, Recto noted the lawmakers “waited for the Executive to propose funding for laws they themselves advocated.” He added: “In the absence of such, the Senate, in bipartisan fashion, decided to appropriate funds for landmark measures which were in danger of becoming unfunded mandates in their crucial first year of implementation.”
Recto confirmed that the Senate version had alloted P18 billion for Universal Health Care; P10 billion for the Coconut Modernization law; P10 billion for Rice Tarrification Law and P30-billion for the Bangsamoro Organic Law. “I am proud to sponsor the budget augmentations which were carried in the Senate version of the 2019 General Appropriations Bill,” the Senate President Pro Tempore added.
He surmised that “the other branch may have forgotten to fund these laws,” adding, “the Senate did not. We uphold these as sacred promises to our people which should be redeemed with funding.”
At the same time, Recto acknowledged the role of Senate Finance committee chief Loren Legarda, for “supporting and shepherding the passage of these sponsored amendments of mine.”