Duterte threatens to veto 2019 budget amid tales of illegal tweaks

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday threatened to veto the P3.757-trillion proposed national budget for 2019 amid allegations of illegal insertions and realignments made in the spending plan.

Speaking at the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Bacolod City, Duterte vowed to scrutinize the contents of the budget bill that was forwarded by Congress to Malacañang on March 26.

"Ang budget kasa-submit lang. I have to sign it pagbalik ko pa, pinag-aralan pa, galing Budget [department] to the Office of the President. The Office of the President is not the Budget so ang legal ko magbasa uli," he said.

"Ngayon pagka talagang tagilid 'yan, I will outright veto the entire budget," Duterte added.

The President then spoke about the rift between the Senate and House of Representatives over last-minute changes to the budget bill.

"Hindi magkasundo ang Congress pati Senado eh. And yung mga insertions diyan titignan ko, pagka tagilid talaga I will not hesitate to veto the entire budget. Eh di pasensya tayong lahat," he said.

Duterte's signing of the long awaited 2019 national budget has again become uncertain after the Palace removed it from the chief executive's calendar on Monday, April 15.

At a news conference on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo raised the possibility that Duterte may enact the budget bill after the Holy Week.

Panelo had repeatedly said the President would exercise his veto power if some items in the budget bill failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling in 2013 that declared unconstitutional the pork barrel system.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III had urged Duterte to veto the P75-billion allocation for programs and projects under the Local Infrastructure Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways which was made through internal realignments after the bicameral conference report was ratified.

The government has been operating on a reenacted budget since January. —NB, GMA News