MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives long-delayed version of the 2021 budget bill is virtually "ready for submission" to the Senate.
Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay) confirmed this before reporters in a press conference on Monday afternoon after the meeting of the House 'small committee' tasked to receive and resolve amendments to the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget.
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"The 2021 House version of the budget is complete. Basically, our job is done. We called the bluff of the Senate... This is the fastest small committee in the history of this House of Representatives," Salceda told reporters.
"We don't want a reenactment of the 2018 budget. There is a huge penalty for that, and we need to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic," he also said.
He was referring to the 2019 national budget, which lawmakers failed to pass on time, forcing the national government to operate on a reenacted budget. Doing so again this year would mean using the same spending plan approved for the year 2020, which at the time did not factor in the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
To a vote of 257-6, the lower chamber approved the bill on its third and final reading on Friday, after months of deliberations that only began anew after President Rodrigo Duterte called for a special session from October 13 to 16.
The fiscal plan has yet to be printed and officially submitted to the Senate, which has given the lower chamber an October 28 deadline after its earlier leadership shakeup, over 10 days after the bill’s final reading.
According to Salceda, further amendments for government agencies will be tackled in "a continuing group under [Rep. Edcel Lagman] that will continue to receive."
"We have not closed the door, but what we have closed is the book," Salceda said.
A separate statement by Lagman on October 10 carried a different tone altogether as the lawmaker called for more session days for the bill's approval.
"An additional period of four (4) days from October 19 to 22, 2020 is necessary in order that the committee and individual amendments to the appropriation measure can be considered and approved by Plenary before second reading. More time is required so that the bill for approval on second reading already includes the committee and individual amendments which should be proposed and approved in Plenary session," the statement read.
"The long tradition of a “small committee” effecting the amendments after the approval of the budget bill on second reading should be abandoned in order to assure transparency in the proceedings which is not achieved by the furtive conclave of the small panel," it added.
Salceda is also quoted in a report by ABS-CBN News as saying that the small group reached a consensus to consider in its meeting only institutional amendments, departmental errata, and individual amendments during a later bicameral conference committee.
"The implications are a. the probability of reenactment is zero b. empowers the government to confront the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic c. restore the Philippines as a nation-state to its trajectory of growth, maintain macroeconomic stability and make growth gains sustainable," he is quoted as saying in a text message.
— Franco Luna with reports from Xave Gregorio