TO break the impasse on the proposed P3.757-trillion General Appropriations Act of 2019, the Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed to increase the cap of lawmakers’ fund “re-prioritization” to P200 billion from P50 billion.
House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Rolando Andaya Jr. said February 6 is the deadline for the passage of the 2019 national budget.
Congress will take a break from February 6 to May 19, 2019, for the midterm elections.
“February 6 is the deadline. Contrary to some rumormongers on a reenacted budget. We have been saying since Day One, we are going to have a new budget” said Andaya, a cochairman in the bicameral conference panel on the 2019 budget.
According to Andaya, the two cha-bers are now working out where to source the P200-billion realignments in the budget, as well as the beneficiaries of the adjustments.
Andaya also assured the public that their respective realignments will be open for scrutiny, as several critics branded their insertions as pork barrel.
Earlier, Andaya bared that senators introduced almost P190 billion in so-called insertions while the lower chamber has P51 billion under the proposed 2019 budget.
Abandonment
Andaya also proposed the abandonment of the one-year cash-based budgeting system as proposed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Several lawmakers have expressed their opposition to the cash-based budget system of the Department of Budget and Management as it slashed budgets of key agencies under the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019.
He said abandoning the cash-based budgeting is one of the issues that House members have asked him to bring out during the bicameral meeting.
“There is actually no legal basis for it, and from an implementing agency’s standpoint and view, it will actually cost more harm than good,” Andaya said.
He said the Commission on Audit pointed out in its official statement on the matter that cash-based budgeting will cause more problems and will effect like what is happening now, the ballooning of accounts payable.
“That kind of system opens the doors for corruption dahil bago ka mabayaran, maglalagay ka pa [because before you get paid for services rendered, you have to bribe someone],” Andaya said.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, a member of the Senate contingent, expressed his approval and inquired how the proposal can be implemented.
Andaya said the abandonment of the one-year cash-based budgeting can be implemented by proposing that the life of the appropriations cover for capital outlays and maintenance and operating expenses (MOOE) be extended for two years.
Sen. Loren B. Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said she will have to consult with the other members of the Senate regarding the proposal to give way completely or to hybrid it.
Legarda, author of the budget reform measure, said that although she is in favor of fiscal discipline and a cash-based budget, she wants the budget to pass.
House Minority Leader Danilo E. Suarez said that during presentation of the budget by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) at the House of Representatives, he questioned the cash-budgeting proposal of Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno.
Elections, pay hike
However, Andaya said Legarda was assured by the DBM that it will source the fund for salary increase for government workers and midterm elections’ budget from the government savings if the national budget will not be approved by next week.
According to Legarda, the budget for the May election will be funded by P10-billion unutilized Comelec funds and other savings, while the budget for salary increase for teachers and other civil servants in the government will be sourced from Micellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund (MPBF).
Earlier, Andaya said under the 2018 reenacted budget, P100 billion is allocated for salary increases under the MPBF. Congress has approved a joint resolution extending for another fiscal year the 2018 appropriations for MOOE and CO.