2016 budget deliberations plagued with lack of House quorum

The Plenary Hall, House of Representatives Complex, Constitution Hills, Quezon City
(Photo by Malacañang Photo Bureau/Robert Viñas)

MANILA – With the failure to achieve quorum in the previous deliberations, Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. resorted to a text brigade, asking House representatives to attend the plenary deliberations on the Executive’s 2016 national budget proposal.

“A text brigade has been made to remind our colleagues to attend the remaining sessions in the next two weeks.

Let us all be there to show support to approve the national budget for next year,” Belmonte said in a Manila Bulletin report.

The House Speaker and House Committee on Appropriations chairman Davao Representative Isidro Ungab sought to approve the proposed 2016 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) by October 9, before the House goes on a three-week recess and before the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for next year’s national elections.

“Hopefully, the plenary debates and voting on second reading on the national budget by that time (COC filing) are already finished,” Ungab said in the same report.

“We would like to encourage our colleagues to actively participate in the deliberations, as we will allow free and full debates on the proposed national budget for 2016. We hope to approve the national budget on second reading by October 9,” he added.

The plenary session started today and will resume tomorrow until the national budget’s approved on second reading.