Friday, 20 September 2019

Daily Tribune
House steps up on budget
By Keith oalayag and third readings within
today's session.
'1he House ol Representaljives House Deputy M aj ority
swiftly responded to Presideni, Leader Pampanga 4th Dist. Rep.
Rodrigo Dutefi e's efidolsement Juan Pablo "Rimpy" Bondoc
of the ploposed P;1.1 trillion stated this during the House
natiolal budget tbr'2020, or plenary session,
House Bill 4228, as leaders In issuing the certification,
. r-umt! p4ge p

House steps up on budget

the assurance of our leadership that all
We have
amendments will be judiciously considered and most likely
accepted
hflnWcAl
Mr. Duterte said he does not want a repeal
of the friction that happened last yeax that
led the national govemment being forced
to operaie on a rcenacted budget in the
filsl quafter
Ihe delay caused a slowdown in capitel
ouuays mostly for inftastructue buildhg
and a decline in the country's $oss
domestic product for the first.half.
"I have been inlormed by the Ilouse
leadership that similar to what had
occuned in 2015, re axe going to have the
approval on second and ihbd readings of
Ilouse Bill 422B tomorrow after foming a
snull comrnittee composed of mqjodty and
minority mernbers to accept amendments,'
he said.
.lhis has been done in the past in
the spfuit of tmnspaxency and procedural
method. It was done in the previous
Congresses, so that we will be given a
longer time to admii a,ll the amendments
of our colleagues,n the legislator averled,
House Ways and Means Committee
chairman and Albay Rep. ,hey Salceda said
delivery of basic services to the people,
ald ultimate$ slovred our gro$,ih duftU
the filst quarter ofthis yea,r,' }h. Dutede's
spokesman Salvador knelo said.
"Government operations must
"!Ve ha!€ theassuance of our leadership never be hampered and our
that all amendments will be judiciously constitutional mandate to serve the
considered and most likely accepted,o Filipind people must prevail over
Bondoc told the membes pf the"H-ouse. partisan considerations and constant
The Ilouse of Refesentatives received differences or varying interpretations
the Nationai kpenditure Progam (NEP) or on the budget,' he added.
the b€cutive document th"t is considercd
the draft budget,last 20 At4ust. No sifiin4 if .o,constltudod
the House Appropiations Committee Mearnv[ile.-panelo assured that I\rIr.
began deliberating on the proposed budget putrufte will olercise his lrcto po\rcN on
ofu.riousagencies on ZAuguS.Ihe plenary next par's GAB if he sees irregula,rities.
began tacLJing the General Appropriatiots Tiris, following Joey dalcetla,s
Bill (GAB) onS last 10 September, recent disclosure that each member
b$editeftmdfts ;:tH#:|ff .JffT',illl"t:"fi#*
Earlierin the day the announced
Palace resDective Droiects.
Mr. Duterte has certified as ugent the SA."au" ho'*o"r, * quickto clariff
proposed appopiations for nod,€ax.
that the said amount is "Dork, and
The Chief Executive, in his letter to reiterated that the la*make;, pojects
Senate President Vicente Sotto III and have been itemized in the NEp.
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetaro, said he^ is lhis was done when the congrcssmen
caling for the swift passage of the 2020 sent their funding proposali to the
spending bill to "maintain continuous becutive branch, hJ sairt'
gwemment operatiors' and 't0 €Dpedite ,,We will wait for it io be submitted
the funding of mxious proglans, pojeds, to the president then he will decide
and a.tivities" for the coming fistal year,
whether it is oork or not. IIe wi1 veto
"ln ceftirying the urgency budget it if ii is against the Constit*tion,, ttre
of the

it wil be the first time the llous€ could pass
a budget bill'on second ard third reading
in a day as a result oflb certification as
u.rgent.
Bondoc assured lavmaken.that all dreir
poposed amendments will be considered.
bi[, PBRD wants to conveyto the members pahce offic'ial tokl reDorters in an earlier
oI Congess the importance ol passing the i.t"J"*
Genera.l Aiipropriations Bill on time to -";it Ao*r,'t,nutt"rifitwasthe Dccrtive
avoid a repeat of a reenarted budget that who processed it. The ultimate han4
wreaked havoc to tlte economic fo$am that will veto or aDDrwe it wi[ be the
of this administration, affected the time$ pre,sident,s,'panelosnessed"

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