HOUSE appropriations committee Chair and Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro T. Ungab said Tuesday that no changes have been made to the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget following recent procedural hurdles thrown up against the 2020 general appropriations bill (GAB).
“So far walang changes. I made an explanation kung bakit ang GAB should be retained as is because it has been a tradition, a practice here in the House, we usually copy in toto, parang photocopy lang ’yung GAB na ginagawa ng appropriations committee ng NEP (National Expenditure Program),” said Mr. Ungab in a chance interview with reporters.
The NEP is prepared by the Executive branch and outlines the administration’s spending priorities. Legislators then translate the spending plan into a budget bill.
Mr. Ungab said Congress can prepare its own GAB, “but it will take a long time to prepare it.”
Earlier in the month, senior House legislators intervened to keep the 2020 budget on track after moves to withdraw the budget bill raised the prospect of setbacks to the approval timetable, threatening a repeat of the infighting over the 2019 spending program, which was four months delayed.
Mr. Ungab also clarified that the 2020 budget was not actually withdrawn from the plenary, but only referred back to the committee on rules.
“It was not really withdrawn from the floor, na-change lang ang referral (the referral just changed). Instead of appropriations committee, ni-refer back (it was referred back) to rules. So it’s possible (that) from the rules… I think the plan is tonight ibalik na sa (to return it to) appropriations,” he said.
Mr. Ungab reiterated that budget deliberations are expected to meet the Oct. 4 final approval timeable set for the budget bill.
The last day of briefings for the 2020 budget is Sept. 6 with the preparation of the committee report set for Sept. 10.
“We expect the executive department, Malacañang, to issue a certificate of urgency. With that, it means we can proceed to third reading immediately after second reading,” Mr. Ungab said.
The 2019 Budget was delayed by the issue of “insertions” and the resulting disputes over which chamber altered the spending program.
The Development Budget Coordination Committee in its March 13 meeting slashed GDP expansion targets for the year to 6-7% from 7-8% originally and 2020 to 6.5-7.5% also from 7-8%, citing the impact of the delayed enactment of the national budget. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
