House to approve 2019 budget before Oct. 13

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will approve the proposed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget before Congress goes on its month-long Halloween recess on Oct. 13, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said yesterday.

She told reporters that tackling the budget until the wee hours “is a decision to be able to comply with our legislative calendar that we have set together.”

“We wanted to pass the budget bill before we go on recess so we can pass it to the Senate and they can finish it on time for signing before the end of the year,” she said.

Arroyo, a workaholic, said she is used to working until the early morning hours.

She recalled that when she was trade undersecretary, she and other agency officials had to wait until morning for their turn in House plenary budget deliberations.

“And when I was a senator, we also used to do our budget sessions until very, very late. Anyway, the thing is, the congressmen would rather not have sessions on Thursdays and Fridays… because we are nearing the period of filing of candidacy, many discussions are now going on in the districts,” she said.

“And so I said that’s fine with me, we will not have Thursday and Friday sessions but that means we will have to (work) overtime on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It seems to be working well, anyway,” she added.

Upon request of the House and the Senate, the Commission on Elections has reset the period for the filing of certificates of candidacy from Oct. 1-5 to Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 15-17.

The House is now in its second week of budget deliberations, which were delayed by two days after the discovery of P55 billion in hidden pork barrel funds.

Apparently with clearance from President Duterte, the proponent of the annual budget, the House realigned the huge amount to education, health, roads and bridges, tourist destinations and livelihood centers, and other social services and infrastructure.

Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said projects, activities and programs to be funded with realigned appropriations “will be itemized in the budget.”

“There will be no post-budget enactment identification (by lawmakers), which is prohibited. We will spell out the details. The budget will comply with laws and judicial decisions on public expenditures,” he said.

Andaya said, however, that some realignments would be “hard to itemize, like the fund for Ompong rehabilitation.”

“There is no comprehensive damage assessment yet which can guide as to what projects will be undertaken,” he added.