Mulagla

Business Insight
Wed nesday, September !7, 2079

Flouse leaders reiects solons' plea

to restore vetoed P95B funding
BY WENDELL VIGIUA
THE House committee on arppro-
priations has tejected the requests
of at least 60 congressmen for the
panel to restore P95 billion in ad-
ditional congressional allocations
that President Duterte vetoed un-
der this year's P3.7 trillion national
budget.
Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab,
panel chai4 said the requests can-
not be accommodated because
the fund will be taken from the
proposed budget of various de-
partments and agencies and there-
fore, adversely.affect goveloment
set\1ces,
"In otler words, the operations
of the departrnents will be affected
so it's difficult to entettain their
requests," Ungab told teporten last
Monday. "I have tq be frank and
say that it's hard to enterain their
tequess because if we dq the de-
partrnens will be the ones to suffer."
When he signed the 2019 bud-
get, President Duterte rejected the
P95 billion additional congressio-
nal allocations made by the ptevi-
ous leadership under then speaker
See HOUSE l Page 83

HOUSE
Gloria Arroyo after cdtics called
an "insertion" ot "pork."
The apptopriations committee
on Monday apptor"ed its committee
report on House Bill 4228 or the
Geoeral Approptiations Bill (GAB)
which seeks to appropriate funds
for the operation of the govero-
ment ftomJan. 1 mDec.31,2020.
The House yesterday opened the
pienary deliberations on Malaca-
flang's P4.1 trillion proposed
national budget fot 2020 after a
caucus.
Ungab said Speaket Alan Peter
Cayetano wanted to ensure the
timely passage of a "potk-free"
and "insertion-free" budget.
He likewise confirmed deputy
speaket Luis Raymond "LRay"
Villafuette's claim that some con-
gressmen are unhappy with the
allocations that their districts
received under Malacanan{s 2020
budget ptoposal.
The appropriations chair said he
it understands where his colleagues
are conling ftom because some
of them are complaining that the
vetoed allocations rvere supposed
to fund vital infiasftuctute items
like the construction of bddges.
Ulgab said the affected lawmak-
efs have to apPeal to the executive
to have the slashed and vetoed
fuods restored.
He appealed to lawmakers not to
be "impatien{' saying the proposal
still may be recommended for in-
clusion in the 2021 budget or can
be the subject of a supplemental
budget for 2020 if there ate avail-
able fuods.
Cayetano assigned Northern
Samar Rep. District Rep. Paul Daza
to coordinate ivith the congress-
men who have budgetary con-
cetns while Constructioo Workers'
So).idarity Rep. Romeo Momo Sr.,
a fotmer public works undetsecre-
tary, was tasked to do the same vrith
the Depatmrent of Public Works
and Highways @Pri0F! on behalf
of congtessmen.
Cayetaaq however, made it clear
that he did not promise anything
because it vrill be very difficult to
fund the requests.
"This is you know, a ptoblem
that we just have to be honest vrith
the congressmen that it might not
be solvable in *ris budget," he told
repoftets.
The Spealet said the House is
also eyeing budget realignments
to fund tvo important items in
the national budget: P7 billion to
at Ieast P9 billiol for the National
Food Authotity's (f{FA) "palay"
(unhusked rice) purchasing fund
and additional budget for the
improvement of the miliary and
poLice headquatets.
Cayetano said the palay fund
will helo address the concerns of
farmeri who are blaming Republic
Act No. 11203 or the Rice Tarif-
fication Law that liberalized the
impotatioa of cheaper rice variet-
ies for the huge &op in farm gate
prices of palay, which according to
reports is oow P8 to P12 per kilo.
Cayetaoo said the House is also
considedngthe allocation of P500
million each to 6x t}te camps of the
Armed Forces of the PhiliPPiaes
(AFP) aod Philippine National
Police PNP) to be called the CamP
Development Fund.
The Ungab panel comPleted
the hearings on the 2020 budget
proposals of all govetnment de-
partments, agencies and offices
last Fdday after only trvo weeks of
marathoo hearings.
It was Cayetano's idea to ask t}re
panel's vice chairmen and theit
teams to conduct seParate headngs
to expedite the process and meet
the target of passing the budget on
or before *re congressional break
on October 4.

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