Duterte will veto some items in proposed 2021 budget —Palace

Published December 25, 2020 02:54 PM By VIRGIL LOPEZ,GMA News

President Rodrigo Duterte will veto some items in the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021, Malacañang said Friday.

Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque declined to disclose the items that will be vetoed by the President, saying he’s not at liberty to reveal such information.

“Sigurado po na magkakaroon po ng veto message,” Roque said.

“Matagal na pong nakahanda ang ating DBM sa kanyang rekomendasyon at inaasahan din na aaprubahan din ng Presidente ‘yung mga naging rekomendasyon ng DBM.”

Early this month, Senator Panfilo Lacson said double and overlapping appropriations in the 2021 spending bill "should be vetoe

d, along with at least 793 line items for multi-purpose buildings with a uniform P1-million appropriation each."

During his interpellation of the bicameral conference committee report of the 2021 budget, Lacson questioned the P28.348-billion increase in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) despite its track record of underspending and allegedly questionable and wasteful projects.

The senator recommended a P60-billion reduction from the DPWH’s proposed budget, including for multi-purpose buildings except those to be used as evacuation and quarantine facilities, as well as double appropriations, right-of-way payments and also overlapping projects.

In 2019, Duterte removed P95.37 billion worth of public works appropriations from the original P3.757-trillion spending plan since the items, which came as a result of post-ratification budget realignments made by lawmakers, were not within the “programmed priorities” of the government.

Duterte will sign the 2021 budget on December 28 in Malacañang.

Next year’s budget is expected to fund measures aimed at improving the country’s healthcare system, ensuring food security, increasing investments in public and digital infrastructure and helping communities cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around P23 billion has been realigned by lawmakers for the rehabilitation of communities affected by the strong typhoons that hit the country this year. Congress also approved an allocation of P72.5 billion for COVID-19 vaccines. —LBG, GMA News

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