Sotto, Angara presume regularity in House's P20-B amendments after 3rd reading

Senate leaders on Monday have chosen to presume regularity in the P20-billion worth of institutional amendments introduced by the House of Representatives' small committee to the P4.5-trillion General Appropriations Bill which the plenary approved last week.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said these amendments that were made after the third reading in the House were acceptable if the congressmen agreed to do this before they voted in the plenary.

"If they manifested to do that before they approved on third reading, subject to style, then it's possible. It means they approved it in principle," Sotto told GMA News Online.

Asked if this has been practiced by congressmen in previous years, Sotto said: "I think so. As long as they manifest it before approval."

"As they submit to us, we will of course presume regularity," Sotto said.

Senate committee on finance chairperson Sonny Angara also said the principle on presumption of regularity applies.

"We presume regularity given it’s a co-equal House and we know that House leaders know the procedures outlined in the Constitution and will comply with such," Angara said.

Albay Representative Joey Salceda, a member of the House's small group, said P20 billion worth of "institutional amendments" were introduced to the P4.5-trillion General Appropriations Bill.

The amendments include additional P5.5 billion for COVID-19 vaccines; P4 billion for the Department of Labor and Employment to aid  displaced workers; P1.7 billion for the Department of Education to provide the internet needs for online classes; P2 billion for the Department of the Interior and Local Government for mobility assets of the police; and P2 billion for pandemic assistance to affected families, among others.

Salceda said the small group agreed to take up individual amendments in the bicameral conference after the Senate deliberations.

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan earlier said there should be no more amendments after the third reading as any other intervention after that shall be made in the bicameral conference committee meetings. -NB, GMA News