By Butch Fernandez & Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations on Thursday said he will not hesitate to recommend to President Duterte a reenacted budget should the two chambers fail to break the budget impasse during their five-day meetings.
However, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. expressed hope that the Senate will agree with the lower chamber on its position that there is nothing illegal in post-bicameral itemization of lump-sum funds.
He also believed that the contingents from the Senate and the House can agree to a common venue to finally transmit the 2019 budget for President Duterte’s signature.
“We are given five days, the three-man committee and the Senate counterpart to resolve the impasse, if we fail, I will recommend the use of a reenacted budget for the whole year for the [government] to start pending projects,” he said.
“This is the most opportune time for the [infrastructure projects] because of the good weather condition,” he added.
Andaya, in a separate CNN interview, said the lower chamber will explain their sides to the Senate during their meetings, which will start on Monday.
Since 1986, the lawmaker said the process of crafting the budget has been the same.
The lower chamber already retrieved the budget books it sent to Senate for signature. It created three-man team, which include Andaya, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, to address contentious issues on the 2019 General Appropriations Bill.
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III confirmed on Thursday that the House of Representatives had already retrieved the P3.7-trillion 2019 budget documents containing last-minute House insertions made even after the ratification of the final version of the annual money measure.
The Senate leader held out hopes that the P3.7-trillion budget bill would now be signed into law by President Duterte cutting short the period the government would operate on a reenacted 2018 budget.
This, after Senator Sherwin Gathalian had called on the House leadership to “end the stalemate over the 2019 budget by recalling its tampered version and reverting to the version of the budget that was ratified by both chambers of Congress.”
Gatchalian pointed out that the last week of March means summer vacation is about to end and students are getting ready for another school year. “These preparations also include construction of additional classrooms and hiring more teachers,” he said.
But the senator added, “It cannot be done” by the Department of Education until the P3.7-trillion national budget for 2019 is enacted into law. Gatchalian had prodded Congress leaders to end the standoff on the budget law to spare the students.
“We should not let our teachers and schoolchildren suffer just because of the machinations of some members of the House of Representatives,” he added.
Fielding questions at the “Kapihan sa Senado,” Senate President Sotto confirmed that the “the door is now open to adopt suggestions” for the bicameral conference panel to end the budget deadlock.
“Hopefully, by next week we will submit [the enrolled copy of the budget bill] to President Duterte [for signing into law],” Sotto told reporters at the Senate media forum. Asked about the possibility President Duterte may still veto the money measure, Sotto said the Senate and the House—now in recess until May 13—would need to meet anew.
“If there is [another] veto, there will be a special session,” Sotto said.