ll MoNDAY MARGH 11, 2o1e
Andaya...
Andaya ilamt,
senators over
'parked pmk'
HOUSE appropriations committee
chairman Rolando Andaya Jr. on Sun-
day accused senatoB of realigning P77 '
billion in the 2019 national budget af-
ter it had already been approved by the
bicameral confgrencq comniiJtee, after
tle Senate made a similar accusation
against the House last week.
"Senators are desperately lookbg for
ghosts in the 20i9 Ceneral Appropria-
tions Act. The problem [is], theJ seem
to fud ghosts everywhere except..- [in]
their own house," he said in a statement.
"If post-bicam itemization of lump-
sum budget by the House of Represen-
tatives is unconstitutional or irregular,
what about post-bicam realignment by
the Senate ofP77 billion in the national
budget?" Andaya said.
The realignment by the Senate, he.
said, was 'howhere to tre found in the bi-
cameral conference committee report."
"Worse, unlike in the House of Rep-
resentatives, tiere axe no proponents for
the realignment. Meaning, the funds are
parked somewhere in the national bud-
get. This is clearly parked pork " he said
Nert page
Ftum A7
The senaton may try to justify the
realignment b5 describing them again
as institutional amendments. But how
can they describe the Senare's P25-
billJon realignment $at was parked il
the DPWH budget? Still institutional
ameDdments?"
He said of rbe P77 billior in post-bi-
cam realignments by the Senale. at least
l
;
i without the knowledge of officials
concemed. Nor , it seems we go back
, to the same practice af,er all has been
said and done," he added.
l
At the same time, Andaya said if sen-
ators feel Lbat rhe 2019 rarifed budeeL
was flawed they could ask PresidJnt
Rodrigo Dutene lo veto some portions
ol it.
"We arc not a&aid of a budget that
yodd. sho-w what agency I'ould beneit
and what programs would be funded,"
he said.
"What are the senaton afraid ofabout
the itemized budget? Asfar as the House
is concemed, we have all the records to
substantiate our stand and the legal basis
as well as the established taditiona and
practices to back us up," he added.