Palace should tell Congress to transmit ratified budget now —Gatchalian

Malacanang should strongly urge the leaders of the House of Representatives to transmit the ratified bicameral conference committee report on the proposed P3.75 trillion budget for 2019 for President Rodrigo Duterte's signature, a senator said Tuesday.

“Nasa executive branch na ang responsibility for this budget to be implemented. Having said that, the executive should call on the leadership of the House to finish the paperwork and transmit the original copy to the Palace,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, said.

The House and the Senate ratified the bicam report on February 8 or almost a month ago.

“The Executive should exert more effort para lumabas na itong budget at mapirmahan na ng Presidente,” Gatchalian added.

Earlier,  Sen. Panfilo Lacson accused Speaker Gloria Arroyo of amending the Congress-approved budget to favor the districts  of her allies at the House.

In a statement, Lacson said Arroyo did this by allotting P25 million for Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) for each of the districts of House members who elected her as Speaker in July last year.

He claimed that while each Arroyo ally got P25 million, she allocated only P8 million for the districts of House members who did not support her election as Speaker.

Palace spokesperson Salvador Panelo, quoting Arroyo, denied the allegation.

Gatchalian would not share Lacson’s claims against Arroyo, but warned of an impasse in the event that the House version will differ from what was agreed upon during the bicameral conference panel discussions.

“Kung hindi pareho, that will create a problem,” he said.

“What was agreed upon during the bicam are all on record. Dapat magkapareho,” Gatchalian added.

In a separate statement, House appropriations panel chairman Rolando Andaya, Jr., denied Lacson's claims by arguing that the House is making the budget more transparent and easy to scrutinize by "itemizing the appropriations therein fleshing out  lump-sum funds, without departing from the approved specifications of the House-Senate approved budget."

This year marked the first time since 2010 that the government operates on a reenacted budget. —LDF, GMA News