PRRD to factor in Congress statements in going over 2019 budget

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte skims through some documents while presiding over the 32nd Cabinet Meeting at the Malacañan Palace on December 12, 2018. SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte will be considering statements coming from both houses of Congress in going over the proposed 2019 national budget, Malacañang said on Monday.

“The President, I’m sure, will be factoring in all the statements made by both Houses in going over the budget and then decide for himself,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

“He is going to evaluate and scrutinize the national budget,” he added.

Panelo confirmed that the proposed budget has been submitted to the President for scrutiny. However, he could not say when it will be signed.

On March 26, the Senate and House of Representatives finally transmitted the budget bill to Malacañang after they both signed the ratified bicameral conference committee.

Earlier, Zambales Rep. Cheryl Deloso-Montalla said Duterte is expected to sign into law the proposed national budget anytime this week.

“The President, of course, wants to have a new budget so I’m sure he is already doing his homework on that,” Panelo said.

Panelo, meanwhile, shrugged off a statement made by House appropriations committee chair Rolando Andaya Jr. that the Senate has cut down about PHP83.7 billion of priority projects for the government’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

“Again, that is an internal problem with respect to the two Houses. They should resolve that. They are accusing each other with certain irregularities or acts in conflict with the Constitution, they should resolve that,” Panelo said.

Despite delays in the passage of the proposed budget, Panelo said he understood the intramural between House and Senate as a way of “raising constitutional issues among themselves”.

The budget impasse between the two chambers stemmed from the alleged post-ratification realignments made by the House in the spending measure.

“They are raising constitutional issues among themselves, and that will be factored in in the consideration of the President’s signing or vetoing certain provisions of the budget,” Panelo said.

Panelo, meanwhile, allayed fears that the proposed budget expected to be signed by the President may be considered “illegal.”

“He (Duterte) is a lawyer and he will know whether a document or certain provisions of the document is illegal or not,” Panelo said.

Panelo said that it is only the Supreme Court which can determine whether the national budget is illegal.

“Anybody who says that it’s illegal — it’s an opinion. It’s only the Supreme Court who can finally say that it is illegal or not. It’s just an opinion,” Panelo said.

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