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Palace sees
veto of'pork'
insertions
By Nat Mariano
and Macon Ramos-Araneta
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte would
use his veto power Lo conect insenions
if
in the proposed 2019 national budget
they violate the Supreme Coult nrling
on the so-called pork banel" the Palace
said Thursdal'.
"The President is a lawyer, he lnows
his law. Ifhe think that is in'violation
of rbe doctrine enunciated by the Su-
preme Coun then he will do what is
- Next Poge
Palace...
Frcm A7
right," Presidential Spokesman Panelo
said in a Palace press briefing.
"What we recognize is the power of
Congress to amend-to review and to
amend to do whatever it leels is cor-
rect, necessary and right. We'll leave
it t6 them. Now if the President feels
that it's wrong, then he can use his
veto power to correct it," he added,
On Tuesday, Senator Panfilo Lacson
called on Duterte to use his line-item
veto power to remove the alleged "pork"
inserted by lawmakers on the proposed
P3Js7-trillion 2019 national budget.
The House ofRepresentatives, in tum,
then criticized the Senate for its amend-
ments to the budget amounting to P190
billiorl questioning the senaton for their
so-called "institutional amendments."
The Senate and.the House have
been locked io a staodoff lollouing
the alleged'!ork" insertions in tbe
proposed 2019 expenditure plan.
Since then, the government has'
been operating under a reenacted
budget since Jan. 1, 2019, after Con-
gress failed to pass the budget on time.
Lawmakers hope to ratiry the bicam-
eral repon on Friday, Feb. 8 before Con-
gress adjourns its session to give way for .
the 2019 campaign arrd elections.
Lacson on Thursdat continued to
chide his colleagues in the Sante, whose
minds were closed when it comes to
pork barrel and were rcady to debate
"until kingdom come" their insertions.
He conceded, however, that respect-
ing the votes of the majority on the
budget is democracy.
"Sadly, no matter how hard I argued last
night (Wednesday night), I only have one
vote although I have good reason to believe
that some like-minded colleagues are sup-
portive ofdeleting all pork insertions, par-
ticularly the excessive and rmconscionable
rcalignments made not only by our House
counkrpar! but by a number of our col-
leagues as well," he said, without naming
the senators. With PNA
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