Delay dismays Rody

President Rodrigo Duterte was “dismayed” over the extended impasse on the proposed 2019 national budget, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said yesterday.

In a message to Palace reporters, Medialdea said the Palace is now putting Congress to task to end the stalemate on the P3.757 trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for the year before both chambers go on recess on 6 February.

The House and the Senate contingents in the bicameral conference committee are fighting over insertions in the budget amid an exchange of allegations among legislators of resurrecting the pork barrel system.

The Supreme Court declared in 2013 the pork barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) as unconstitutional.

“He (Mr. Duterte) is aware and I am sure he is disappointed at the legislators’ inaction, which will delay his infrastructure projects,” Medialdea said.

“We are still hopeful that the legislators will perform their constitutional duties as President Duterte and his economic team did by submitting the President’s budget on the day of the SONA (State of the Nation Address), or 30 days before the constitutional deadline,” he added.

Despite the delay, the Palace remains optimistic that legislators will hold true to their promise of passing the budget before the break.

“We’re still confident that it will be passed. They said it. Remember, they said they will pass it,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing referring to an earlier statement made by House Appropriations Committee chair Rolando Andaya Jr.

“Hope springs eternal. We’ll hope for the best,” he added.

Panelo likewise noted that both houses of Congress know the repercussions of the government continuing to operate on a reenacted budget.

“Projects will be delayed. So hopefully, when Congress resumes meeting again, they will have to pass,” the official expressed, while also stressing that the President will not interfere with the legislative process.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives will hold their last plenary session on Wednesday. Lawmakers will go on a break from 9 February to 19 May for the midterm polls. Remaining session days shall be from 20 May to 07 June before the 17th Congress adjourns.

The bicameral conference committee tasked to tackle the 2019 budget is still in the thick of reconciling versions submitted by each chamber.

The bicameral conference committee has agreed to address issues surrounding multi-billion “insertions” covering flood control and drainage projects if only to break the impasse.

The Senate, however, is standing firm on the institutional amendments made by its members.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Senate Finance Committee chair Loren Legarda told him about the agreement in the bicameral.

“As of now, the only report that I got from Senator Legarda is that they have agreed to remove issues on flood control and drainage. That was about it,” said Sotto.

Asked what was meant by removing issues on flood control and drainage, Sotto replied, “Because there are many such amendments. There are supposed insertions like that.”

Pressed if there will be no funds to be allotted to such projects, Sotto said, “Yes, it should be zero.”

The Senate President, however, would not know whether such amendments came from members of the Senate.

Meanwhile, Legarda said that the bicameral conference committee is eyeing to ratify the 2019 budget measure by Friday.

She described the latest meeting with Rep. Andaya as “congenial and more open.”

Legarda said the Senate and House contingents agreed to meet again on Wednesday to finalize the measure so that it will be ratified on Friday, when Congress adjourns until after the May midterm polls.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson has publicly revealed budget insertions, suspected to be “pork barrel,” by members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives amounting to P23 billion and P50 billion, respectively.

Lacson particularly cited flood control and dredging projects by his fellow senators as among those suspected to be individual amendments.