Palace rules out reenacted national budget for 2022

The Philippine government will not operate on a reenacted budget in 2022, Malacañang said Wednesday, even after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to withhold the disbursement of funds amid an ongoing spat with some senators.

"No [we won't have a reenacted budget].  I don't think so. They (members of Congress) have personal stakes. They need to have all the resources they can get for the election," Roque said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

"Many of those people want it passed on time because they are running for reelection and others for higher office. There is also the public opinion. They cannot take the adverse public opinion if they choose politicking and not pass a COVID-19 related budget," he added.

The Duterte administration proposed a budget of P5.024 trillion for next year.

In his weekly address to the nation on Tuesday, Duterte accused lawmakers of trying to paralyze government with decreased allocations after he recently barred officials from attending the Senate investigation into the COVID-19 expenditures of the government.

The Senate is currently deliberating the proposed 2022 national budget, while the House of Representatives passed its own version on September 30.

Section 25 (7), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution provides that “If, by the end of any fiscal year, the Congress shall have failed to pass the general appropriations bill for the ensuing fiscal year, the general appropriations law for the preceding fiscal year shall be deemed reenacted and shall remain in force and effect until the general appropriations bill is passed by the Congress.”

This happened in 2019 when the P3.66-trillion national budget took effect only in May as its passage was delayed due to wrangling by lawmakers over post-ratification budget realignments and insertions. 

The national government also ran on a reenacted budget in the first few days of 2020 as Duterte failed to sign the measure before 2019 ended.

"If they don't pass it on time, the fault will lie on Congress. They will do everything to pass it [on time]," Roque said. — VBL, GMA News