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Wednesday, Febr mry 5, 2O2O,

House, DBM eye

new approach
for early natl
budget approval
BY JASPER EMMANUEL Y. ARCALAS
I @jearcalas

T TOUSE Soeaker Alan Peter

ll c".,ut.rri on Tuesdav said
I I tnu 1o-"r.hamberis eyeing
to jointly craft the national budget
together with the Department of
Budget and Management (DBM) to
avoid delays on its passage and, even,
presidential veto.
In a news statement, Cayetano
said the House of the Representa-
tives andthe DBM are takinga"sec-
ond look" at the traditional way of
preparing the proposedbudget and
presenting it to the two chambe?s
of Congress.
He pointed out that their plan of budgeting, Cayetano said the or propose amendments.
is for both the Executive and enactmeit of the general appro- Cayetano recalledthat ttre budget
Legislative branches to work priations bill "would be smoother last year was delayed after President
together in putting together the and faster." Duterte deleted a P95 billion worth
yearly outlay. 'Aside ftom speeding up the bud- of alleged last-minute pork-barrel
"That is what we want to do get enactment process, the House fund insertions made by the previ-
and thatis what Budget Secretary and the DBM plan to obviate the ous House leadership.
lWendel] Avisado wants to do- possibility of the President vetoing "Wrangling between the two
evenbefore the President submits or reiecting certain appropdations chambers over such insertions
the budget to Congress, there is in the Congress-approved spending delayed the signing of the budget.
consultationwiththe proper com- bill," he said. The delay resulted in an economic
mittees ofboth the House andthe Underthe Constitution, it is the slowdown in the firsttwo quarters
Senate, instead of thempreparing President who submits the annual before the economy recovered in
it, and the House revising it and budget to Congress. The budget the latter paft of last year. How-
the Senate doingits own revision," bill, by mandate of the Charter, ever, the (ecovery was not enough
he said. originates from the House, The for the govelnment to meet its
Through the proposed method Senate has the power to concur, growth target," he said.

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