Bicam breaks ‘impasse’ on 2018 national budget —Nograles

Senators and members of the House of Representatives have resolved the "impasse" in the bicameral conference committee on the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018.

House of Representatives' appropriations committee chairman Karlo Nograles said the conflicting proposals on the 2018 national budget were resolved during Tuesday's hearing.

In a television interview on Wednesday, Nograles said there was an impasse between the two chambers due to several budget cuts done by the Senate in its version of the bill.

"We had to find a way for us to be able to break that impasse," he said.

One of these issues include the proposal in the Senate to cut P50.7 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) budget for right of way and civil works amounting to P62.68 billion.

Senator Panfilo Lacson sought the budget cut due to unresolved issues in the right of way, which was opposed by the House leadership saying it might stall the implementation of the agency's projects.

Nograles said this contention had been resolved.

"Yesterday, we came into an agreement that the budget cuts that were done by the Senate particularly on DPWH will no longer push through based on our meetings so that will not carry in the bicameral committee version," he said.

The differences, Nograles said, have been resolved after the DPWH and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) presented inputs to the lawmakers.

"I think [on] Monday the DBM and DPWH were able to explain very well that these were part of the Build Build Build program of the Duterte administration. And doing those cuts, the P50.7-B, the P50.8-B cuts will really affect the infrastructure program of the DPWH and the administration," he said.

Nograles said much of the P50.7 billion which would have been cut from the DPWH's budget will be restored. "So we’re looking at probably, maybe P4 billion to be cut," he said.

The lawmaker explained that those who sought the DPWH's budget cut, including Lacson, may have misunderstood the importance of the right of way allocation.

"What Senator Lacson wanted was, let's do right of way without the civil works. The problem [with that] is we very well know that once you are able to get the settlers to relocate but they don’t see any infrastructure being done, then chances are those settlers will come back. And there might be even more," he said.

"On the ground, right of way issues really have to be resolved while the project is being conducted. So it’s like a chicken and egg problem. If you don’t put the budget for right of way then you don’t have anything for the government to use in order for the settlers there to vacate," he added.

Amendments to the proposed national budget also include the more or less P20 billlion additional fund to increase the salaries for soldiers, policemen and other uniformed personnel of the government.

The Congress is targeting to ratify the proposed 2018 General Appropriations Act before it ends session for the Christmas break on December 15, to be signed by President Rodrigo Duterte into law likely on December 19. —ALG, GMA News