Bicameral panel vows to approve 2019 budget by February 6

Talks on the 2019 budget resumed Wednesday with the panels from the Senate and the House of Representatives agreeing to disclose their respective amendments and to approve a new budget by February 6, the last day of session before they go on a campaign break.

“February 6 is the deadline. Contrary to some rumormongers, na reenacted [budget] tayo [for 2019], we have been saying since Day 1, magkakaroon tayo ng bagong budget,” Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., appropriations committee chair and leader of the House contingent in the bicameral conference meetings with the Senate.

During the meeting, Andaya said the Senate and House contingents agreed to disclose their respective amendments made to the proposed P3.75 trillion national budget.

Senators reportedly made P189 billion worth of amendments, while the congressmen's proposed changes was worth P51 billion.

The disclosure of the said amendments briefly became a sore point for the panels, with Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier in the day saying he would propose to Senate Finance Committee chair Loren Legarda to withdraw the Senate version and just settle for a reenacted budget for 2019.

Andaya welcomed the end of the impasse.

“Puede naman pala magkaintindihan,” he said. —LDF, GMA News