Ronaldo Zamora confirms House recall of budget bill sent to Senate

San Juan City Representative Ronaldo Zamora on Monday confirmed Senator Panfilo Lacson's statement that the House of Representatives would recall its version of the proposed 2019 budget that has been sent to the Senate.

In a phone interview, Zamora, who according to Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been designated to negotiate with the Senate as regards the budget bill, said the House was only taking back what they had submitted to the Senate.

"Basically, kinukuha lang namin ang pinadala namin," Zamora said.

According to Zamora, the Senate wanted a sign of good faith so that both houses of Congress could push through with discussing and sending the budget to President Rodrigo Duterte for signing.

"Basically sinasabi nila, nagpadala kayo ng ilang dokumento containing the enrolled bill as you see it," he said.

"E kung pwede bawiin, wala namang problema because until the Senate President in fact signs that, that’s still not an enrolled bill, di ba?" he added.

Earlier in the day, Lacson announced that the House would now be withdrawing its version of the proposed 2019 budget, as relayed to him by Zamora.

“Yesterday he gave me a call na meron nang permiso o approval ang House leadership na ire-recall nila today their version of the enrolled bill. From there we will move forward,” Lacson said.

House Committee on Appropriations chair Rolando Andaya, however, said that only a plenary approval could recall the House's version of budget bill that was sent to the Senate.

"The 2019 GAB was approved in plenary at the House of the Representatives. The ratification of the bicameral conference report on the national budget was also made in plenary. Recall of the 2019 GAB must also be done in plenary session, with majority members of the House in approval," Andaya said in a statement.

"No congressman has the authority, without plenary approval, to order the recall of the enrolled form of any bill already transmitted to the Senate," he added.

Andaya said he is not aware of the conversation between Lacson and Zamora, and he still has to be briefed about the matter.

"As Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I cannot undo an act authorized by the members of Congress. I am just one out of the 291. My powers come from them. A few senators cannot overturn an institutional act," he added.

Arroyo also maintained earlier in the day that there is nothing unconstitutional in the House's act of itemizing the lump sum funds in the ratified budget bill. —NB, GMA News