Palace confident Congress can pass budget, TRAIN bill before break

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is optimistic that Congress can pass the national budget and the tax reform bill and act on the possible extension of martial law in Mindanao before going on its holiday break.

 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque noted that next year’s P3.767-trillion budget and the tax reform package have been approved on final reading by the House of Representatives.

 

He said while it is still premature to talk about extending martial law, it would be a priority if the president requests for it.

 

“That can be done because the three, I think, have been debated about for so long in the Senate,” Roque said in a press briefing Tuesday.   

 

“The House has passed them. We are just waiting for the Senate,” he added,  

 

Roque said it is important to pass the 2018 budget, describing it as the “single most important output” of Congress. He noted that failure to pass a new budget would force the government to operate on a reenacted outlay, which is lower than next year’s proposed expenditure program.

 

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), Roque said, is needed to fund the government’s build, build, build infrastructure program.

With regard to the martial law in Mindanao, Roque said Congress is duty-bound to convene in case the President wants to extend it.

 

“If the extension of martial is sought, although this is premature because there is no request yet, that will also be a priority,” Roque said.  

 

“It’s not as if Congress has an option because if the President declares, they are duty-bound to convene whether or not they’re in session,” he added.

 

President placed Mindanao under martial law on May 23 to quell Islamist terrorists who laid siege to Marawi City in Lanao del Sur. Congress agreed last July to extend military rule in the region until the end of the year.

 

Earlier this month, the military said it may recommend the extension of martial law in Mindanao as threats on the island persist even if Marawi has been liberated from terrorists.

 

“The reality is the Armed Forces of the Philippines will have to give the advice because as you know, Congress will have to be consulted on any effort to extend martial law and Congress will go on recess this December 15, if I’m not mistaken,” Roque said.

 

“Congressional recess will take place and options are either that the request for whatever may be given before they go on recess or like in the previous time, they may have to be a special session called for this purpose,” he added.

Another priority measure of the Duterte administration is the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which creates a new political entity in Mindanao with greater political and economic powers than the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

 

“The President’s message is very clear. It was a campaign promise and it is a commitment from him as President that he will do all that is necessary to rectify what he described as the historical injustice committed against the Muslim population of Mindanao,” Roque said.

 

“The President emphasized that unlike the previous BBL, this BBL is all-inclusive. It had in mind the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) and even the Lumads,” he added.

 

Roque said the BBL version endorsed by the previous administration drew protests because it classified Lumads as Bangsamoro.

 

Under the previous BBL and in the version filed at the 17th Congress in October, "those who at the time of conquest and colonization were considered natives or original inhabitants of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago... and their descendants , whether of mixed or of full blood, shall have the right to identify themselves as Bangsamoro by ascription or self-ascription."

 

Among the issues hurled against the first BBL were questions on its constitutionality as well as concerns from local governments whose territories and waters would be affected by the creation of the new autonomous region.