House set to approve 2021 budget tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has committed to immediately pass the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for next year following the conclusion of the speakership squabble earlier this week.

Newly elected Speaker Lord Allan Velasco vowed to lead the chamber into the “timely, legal and constitutional” approval of the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) tomorrow.

When he assumed the speakership post last Tuesday, Velasco moved to undo the second reading approval of the GAB or House Bill 7727 and revert to the period of sponsorship and debate.

The Marinduque representative had earlier questioned the legality of the move of Cayetano and his allies last week to railroad the approval of the national budget without completing the deliberations on about 27 agencies and budget items, and suspend the session for five weeks.

“Our countrymen need no further proof of this than the whimsical, illogical, irregular and immoral attempt to suspend Lower House deliberations until Nov. 16, for no apparent reason other than to perpetuate the hold of the ruling clique,” Velasco said in his address to the plenary.

“As the head of a nation comprised of 109 million people, our President is voicing out the widespread sentiment that the interest of our people – especially at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic and the concomitant crises it has spawned – is being sacrificed before the altar of personal greed and political ambition,” he added.

This means that lawmakers will once again be given a chance to scrutinize the budget and ask questions to the sponsors of the proposed funding of various government agencies. This also essentially opens the period of amendments, where lawmakers can propose changes and adjustments to the GAB.

Based on the amended schedule, the House is set to approve the proposed budget on second reading before proceeding to the final approval of the measure.

Approving the measure on second and third reading on the same day is possible since President Duterte has certified as urgent the proposed 2021 budget.

“We intend to finish the second and third reading on Friday,” ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Eric Yap, who chairs the House’s appropriations committee, said.

If the House fails to meet the deadline set by the Malacañang, 1-Pacman party-list Rep. Mikee Romero revealed that there would still be enough time next week.

“We will try our best to finish by Friday, but if we don’t, we can still convene during recess. We will probably pass the budget to the Senate in the third week of October. We have time to extend it,” Romero told ANC’s “Headstart.”

This schedule will enable the Senate to thoroughly deliberate on the proposed national budget before passing it next month, which will then allow its signing by Duterte and enactment by December.

San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan Rep. Rida Robes, who chairs the House’s people participation committee, supported Velasco’s leadership and echoed his appeal for cooperation among congressmen for the timely passage of the budget.

“I look forward to a renewed, more united and inclusive leadership at the House of Representatives led by Speaker Velasco with Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez,” Robes said in a statement.

“I believe that Speaker Velasco and Majority Leader Romualdez are both righteous and committed to steer the House of Representatives to new heights to become a more effective and responsive institution to serve the Filipino people, especially in these trying times,” she added.

‘On right track’

Velasco made the right decision in resuming plenary debates on Duterte’s proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021, which was set aside by the speakership row last week, according to Albay Rep. Joey Salceda.

“With this move, he starts on the right foot and restores regular order in the House. There are 18 agencies whose budgets have not yet been discussed,” Salceda, who chairs the ways and means committee, said.

“By allowing the discussion of these agencies’ budgets and allowing members to scrutinize these items, the Speaker assures us that the House under his leadership will thoroughly perform its most important constitutional duty,” he added. “It’s the proper path to take.”

For Salceda, the move “will restore the confidence of the public in the processes of the chamber” and also “allows the minority to perform their function as fiscalizer in this most important of all of the House’s mandates.”

The Bicolano lawmaker vowed that as soon as the GAB is “completed, we will proceed to working on Speaker Velasco’s modernizing agenda.”

The new leadership had to void or annul the surprise decision of former speaker Alan Peter Cayetano who held hostage Duterte’s GAB by prematurely approving the measure and unilaterally suspending session until Nov. 16.

“We will work on a New Deal for the New Economy, to energize the economy, revitalize trade and investment, regain and exceed our human development achievements and diffuse growth and employment to the countryside,” Salceda said. – Delon Porcalla, Christina Mendez