PRRD to carefully review 2021 budget: Palace

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison discuss views on strengthening Philippines-Australia bilateral relations and regional and multilateral cooperation during a phone call at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on November 30, 2020. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOS

MANILA – Malacañang on Thursday said the early passage of the proposed PHP4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 in Congress would give President Rodrigo Duterte ample time to thoroughly review it.

In a news briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace will “take all steps necessary” to enact the 2021 General Appropriations Bill on time to avert a reenacted budget scenario amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Ang bibigyan po natin ng kasiguraduhan eh bibilisan naman po ng Palasyo ang pagsusuri sa budget para malaman kung mayroong mga specific line item na ibi-veto ang Presidente. Pero siyempre po lahat iyan mangyari ngayon na dahil kinakailangan magkaroon tayo ng budget pagdating ng a-uno ng Enero (What we assure is the Palace will fast-track the scrutiny of the budget to know if there is specific line item that the President will veto. But of course, it will happen now because we need to have budget before January 1),” Roque said.

Roque assured that Duterte will still exercise his power of review and his power of line veto.

“Pero hindi po isasakripisyo o isu-surrender ng Palasyo, ng Presidente, ‘yung kanyang kapangyarihan na pag-aralan ang budget at siguraduhin na walang dapat na item ng appropriation na dapat ma-veto (The Palace, the President will not sacrifice or surrender his power to study the budget and make sure to exercise his power of line veto),” he said.

Both chambers of Congress ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the 2021 budget, which will support the country’s calamity and coronavirus responses, including PHP72.5 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

Earlier, budget deliberations were stalled due to the speakership tussle between then-Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his successor, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Under the term-sharing deal brokered by Duterte, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months, or until October 2020, while Velasco would take over and assume the position for the remaining 21 months or until the 18th Congress ends in 2022.