House works overtime on P3.7-trillion 2019 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is working overtime to approve the proposed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget before Congress goes on its month-long All Saints’ Day break middle of next month.

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a workaholic, and other House leaders have decided to extend the chamber’s sessions this week up to today to catch up with its budget scrutiny and approval schedule. 

Congressmen usually convene only from Monday through Wednesday. There were plans for the House to hold Saturday sessions but this was discarded because members needed to go back to their districts in the provinces.

Plenary consideration of the budget finally started on Wednesday after a two-day delay due to the discovery of P55 billion in pork barrel funds inserted in the budget. On Tuesday, the leadership decided to realign P52 billion to education, health, roads and bridges to tourist destinations and livelihood centers, and other social services and infrastructure.

Before the debates started, Rep. Rodante Marcoleta of party-list group Sagip, who is senior deputy majority leader, told his colleagues that the House was pressed for time in approving the budget.

He appealed to them to shorten their questioning of the budget sponsors and to ask only “relevant” questions.

Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay, who is senior deputy minority leader, protested Marcoleta’s appeal, saying he was offended and insulted by it.

“Each of us here is mature and intelligent enough to propound and raise relevant questions and issues about the budget. We will not waste our time on nonsense,” he said.

He said the remarks of his counterpart in the majority were “uncalled for.”

After debates on the macro-economic assumptions the administration used in putting together the 2019 proposed outlay, the House proceeded to tackle and approve funding for several agencies in a marathon session that lasted until 3:45 a.m. yesterday.

The approved budgets included those of the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, Department of Agrarian Reform, Commission on Higher Education and state universities and colleges.

“We’re off to a good a start. First day of debates was long but productive – started at 10 a.m. (Wednesday), finished almost 4 a.m. the next day, or 18 hours, non-stop. This kind of marathon session is usually reserved for the last day. But the Speaker wanted all interpellation on agencies scheduled for the day to be finished regardless of time,” Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said.

On deck yesterday were the Department of Finance, Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Labor and Employment and agencies under them, plus the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and certain executive offices and state corporations.

Scheduled to be tackled today are the budgets of the Office of the President, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, agencies under these departments, National Food Authority, National Irrigation Administration, Philippine Coconut Authority, Dangerous Drugs Board, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Climate Change Commission and Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority.

Andaya said the House would stick to its budget approval timeline.

“The House leadership has made a commitment to wrap up budget before the Halloween break. We will pass the general appropriations bill in the House before Oct. 13 (when Congress goes on recess),” he said.

This was the reason why the House had requested the Comelec to reset the period for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the May 2019 elections, he said.

The poll body has rescheduled the filing from Oct. 1-5 to Oct. 11-12 and 15-17.