Senate gives final OK to bill extending Bayanihan 2 budget

Voting 18-0, the Senate on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill that would extend the appropriations under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 until June 30 next year.

More than a fifth of the P165-billion Bayanihan 2 or P38 billion remains unobligated, Senator Sonny Angara said as he sponsored the Committee Report No. 159, taking into consideration House Bill No. 8063.

"If these agencies are unable to have these funds released and obligated by the end of the year, these are returned to the national treasury," he told his colleagues in plenary.

Since Bayanihan 2 is an emergency measure, it is set to expire on December 19, the date when Congress would adjourn.

Senator Koko Pimentel asked if it would be unconstitutional to extend the measure.

Angara explained that the emergency authorities in the act, such as the power of the President to reprogram, reallocate, and realign budget and shut down businesses, would not be extended, only the appropriations.

"It's just the availability of the appropriations," he said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon meanwhile introduced an amendment that would balance the "fund transfers between agencies, instrumentalities and government-owned and controlled corporations which, while obligated, remain unused, unutilized, unexpended, and undisbursed as of June 30, 2021 shall revert to the unappropriated surplus of the general fund."

His amendment would also disallow agency outsourcing requests or agreements between agencies, instrumentalities and/or government-owned and controlled corporations with the Philippine International Trading Corporation.

"Any balances of fund transfers in the books of the Philippine International Trading Corporation shall revert to the unappropriated surplus of the general fund upon the effectivity of this act," read Drilon's amendment.

The Senate also approved the extension of the 2020 budget until December 31, 2020.

Both measures were certified urgent by Malacanang on Monday and were approved by the House of Representatives on final reading on the same day.

The extension of the two appropriation measures would push the spending authority of the government to about P4.8 trillion next year, including the P4.5 trillion 2021 budget and the unprogrammed funds under it. — DVM, GMA News