Senators insist line veto best for 2019 budget

MANILA, Philippines — Exercising the line item veto by President Duterte is the best course of action for the 2019 national budget.

If the President decides to veto the entire 2019 national budget, it would be considered a “lesser evil” than approving the P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 with the P75-billion pork barrel wasting a huge amount of taxpayers’ money, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said.

Lacson maintained the 2019 national budget had been “manipulated” to include the P75-billion pork.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the Office of the President was set to receive yesterday the copy of the P3.757-trillion national budget from the Department of Budget and Management and this will be reviewed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and his legal staff.

“The way I see it, the executive secretary and his staff will review it over the weekend so the reports that it would be signed by the President on Monday may not happen, unless they say it’s OK,” Sotto told radio dwIZ.

In the event the President decides to veto the national budget, Sotto said the 18th Congress, which will be composed of those who will win in the May 13 elections, could still work on the passage of the new GAB.

Sotto proposed what he described as an easier solution to the impasse.

“We would get national expenditures program prepared by the executive branch then approve it. That is the budget proposal of the President that will not go back to the House (of Representatives). By August it’s done,” he said.

Lacson, for his part, said Congress can also work on supplemental budget but such proposal needs to emanate from the executive department.

President Duterte has threatened to reject the entire budget if it becomes “problematic.” Rejecting the spending bill would mean the government would continue running on the reenacted 2018 budget, which is actually larger by P10 billion than the proposed 2019 outlay.

Some senators accused some congressmen of manipulating the GAB that was ratified during the bicameral conference meeting.

Lacson expressed belief the President will not make good his threat to veto the 2019 national budget.

Lacson added there was no truth that some senators made their insertions after the bicam report. “That’s not true, what is clear is that they (congressmen) are muddling the issue,” he said.

Lacson admitted that it would be better to veto the entire budget than approve it without the line item veto.

Lacson further explained economic managers warned having a reenacted budget until August will cause a slide in the gross domestic product (GDP) by 1.8 percent.

He added using a reenacted budget the whole year would cause a negative effect of a minimum of 2.8 percent.

Robbed

Disgruntled congressmen who claim their leaders in the House “robbed” their districts of P92 billion in infrastructure and health funds and gave the money to favored members are urging them to reveal the details of the “pork” realignments.

Speaking for the group, one lawmaker lamented yesterday that the House has not disclosed the list of revised pork barrel fund allocations despite repeated promises.

“They are talking of transparency and accountability, but they have not told us and the public which legislative districts lost billions and which districts gained billions,” he said.

The lawmaker said unless the House discloses the details of the realignments, “people will never know who among them were deprived of infrastructure and health funds and who were given additional money.”