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Rody budget veto faces House challenge
By JESS DIAZ
The House of RePresentatives
will question before the SuPreme
Couri any veto or rejection bY
President Duterte of Pork barrel
insertions in ihe 2019 national
budget, Camarines Sur ReP Ro-
lando Andaya Jr., aPProPriatrons
ROdy
Bill (GAB).
Congress is scheduled to
adjoum this week to give way
to the 90-day campaign for
the May national and local
elections.
Plenarv sessions of the Sen-
ate and t{re FIouse were sup-
posed to end yesterday but
with the proposed national
budget still unapproved, ses-
sions will have to be cond u cted
tomorrow, Senate Maiority
Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri
said.
"(The legislative calen-
dar) is really up to Friday but
we're adjourning Wednesday
if ihere's nothing important to
tacklg but since Malacaflang
was requesting the budget,
we'll likely extend (session) to
Friday," Senate Vicente Sotto
III told reporters.
He stressed the Senate will
stand bv the amendments it
made to'the GAB approved by
the House.
There are hundreds of bil-
Iiors of pork barrel fund inser-
tions in the proposed budget
for this year.
'the According to the
House, mide ad-
Senate
iustments amoulting to P190
billion in its version of the
budget. On top of that huge
committee chairman, said Yes- ciarifu, not to defu, such message "
terdav- "!te need to'know the clear
W6ile expressing suPPort for imolications of the line items to
the call of Sen. Panfilo Lacson for be'vetoed," AndaYa said.
The House and the Senate will
the President io use his line item-
velo power to rid the budget of hold olenaw sessions tomorrow
"potli"-type funds, AndaYa said with the aim of ratifying the l'J /-
trill ion Ceneral APProPriations
the House "will elevate the veto
message to the SuPreme Court to Turn to Paqe 6
ippine International Trading
FromPasel eorp., which is attached to
the DeDartment of Trade and
amotmt are the congressmer/s Industiy), and now the multi-
own insertions in the tens of billion 2017 and 2018 savings
billions. that serve as DBM's pork bar-
Those are the appropria- rel," he said.
tions Lacson wants Duterte "Aveto message prepared by
to scrap from the proposed Sec. Diokno will surely perpetu-
budget for this year. ate these unanswered issues, un-
Andava said there are is- fortunately with the President
sues in ihe 2019 spending as unwitting victim," Andaya
bill still unresolved due to added.
the alleged refusal of Budget He said the House would
Secretary Benjamin Diokro also "seek to intervene in the
to cooperate with lawmakers. exemption being sought by the
Yesterday, his committee DBM from the Comelec (Com-
decided to 6ubpoena Diokno mission on Elections) on the
to its next hearing tomorrow infrastructure ban."
on dre latter's allegedly ques- "We need to be informed
tionable budget allocation what types of proiects are to be
practices. exempted from the election ban
Andaya said among the and the sourcing of funds for
unresolved budget issues were these projects," he said.
the "P75-billionhsertion in the Last Thursday, Diokno told
DP\AIH fi)enartment of Publ.ic reDorters that the administra-
Works and' Highways), the ddn's economic team, of which
flood control siam. the P81- he is a membet would submit to
million barlk deoosits to Are- Prcsident Duterte its recomrnen-
mar Constructi|n (in which dation to seek an infrastructure
Dioknds son-in-lawis a share- ban exemption.
holder) and the anomalous "We are readv to submit a
bidding of big-ticket protects memo to the Preiideni and he,
by d're DBM-PS (Deparhnent in tum, will ask the Comelec to
of Budget and Management exempt at least the 75 big-tidret '
projects so that there will be litde
Procurement Service)."
Thev also include the disruption in our 'Build, Build,
"P50-bil lion stasnant funds Build' program," he said.
in DBM-PS and"Pttc (Phil- - With Paolo Romero
p71G,v f