House defers BIR budget delibs due to commissioner's absence

The House of Representatives on Monday deferred the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2021 budget of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) after Commissioner Caesar Dulay failed to appear either physically or virtually.

During the deliberations, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate moved to terminate the plenary deliberations on the 2021 budget of the Department of Finance including its attached agencies except for the BIR.

"We move to defer the consideration of the budget of BIR for the failure of its head, Commissioner Dulay, to be present in the deliberations of budget—either physically or in Zoom while the budget is interpellated," he said.

Camiguin Representative Xavier Jesus Romualdo joined Zarate in his motion, causing the plenary deliberations on the BIR's budget to be deferred.

Earlier in the plenary session, Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante questioned Dulay's absence in the deliberations of the BIR's budget.

He was asking about the supposed unreleased appropriations of the BIR when he asked Sultan Kudarat Representative Horacio Suansing Jr., who was sponsoring the budget of the bureau, if Dulay was present in the deliberations.

Suansing said Dulay was not at the session hall as he is immunocompromised, making him vulnerable to contracting COVID-19.

But Suansing's explanation did not sit well with Abante.

"We can always have a very good reason to absent ourselves in a very important budget deliberation in the plenary. Perhaps [his] good reason is valid," he said.

"Siguro ang kinakailangang gawin ng ating good commissioner is to give us a record including [his] bill of health so that we will be able to know. Because this is a budget deliberation in the plenary, and [he] must be here even in the Zoom," he added.

Suansing said the secretariat informed him that non-House members are not allowed to participate via Zoom during the plenary budget debates.

Still unsatisfied, Abante demanded Dulay to speak with him personally and apologize to the House for his absence at the plenary.

"I demand that [he] submit a record of her condition to this chamber. Or I will move for the deferment of the budget of the BIR," he added.

The session was temporarily suspended for the House to check Dulay's presence.

But after finding that Dulay was indeed absent, Abante finally moved to defer the BIR's budget deliberations.

The session was once again suspended after Abante made the motion.

Upon resumption of the session, Abante seemed to have withdrawn his motion, saying that he would just call for the deferment of the BIR's budget deliberations "at the proper time."

This was not the first time that Abante called for the deferment of an agency's budget due to the absence of its officials at the plenary.

On September 17, Abante also moved to defer the House panel deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways after only five of its officials were present at the plenary hall. —LDF, GMA News