Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said it might not be “physically possible” for President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the proposed 2019 national budget by Dec. 15.
Sotto said it would take time to print the proposal as well as its approval by the bicameral conference committee.
“Printing alone takes days. Assuming we are able to pass it by next week, paano bicam and printing?” Sotto said in a text message to reporters on Monday.
He said that in 2007, the Senate was able to start deliberating on the national budget in October but this year, he said they would only start their deliberations on the matter by Dec. 4.
Sotto again blamed the House of Representatives for the delay of the passage of the 2019 national budget.
[The] “House of Representatives should have considered that when they delayed their transmittal to us. The revamp in the lower house is the major cause of delay,” Sotto said.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said that the Senate leadership is ready to “work double time” and do its “best efforts” to approve the 2019 national budget before the end of the year.
Still, Zubiri warned of the possibility that the proposed P3.757-trillion budget for 2019 may not be approved before Congress goes on Christmas break.
Because of this, Zubiri foresees that there would be a reenacted budget for two weeks to a month.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Senator Panfilo Lacson held the same view, even as Sotto had said that he had already informed House leaders of this limitation.
“Realistically, we only have Dec. 3, 4, and 5, and 10, 11, 12 to be able to pass it on third and final reading, but it’s too short. Senators who were with us, especially Senators Ping Lacson and Recto said it’s very difficult to be able to discuss intelligently, lengthily, pertinent provisions of the budget at this short period of time. We really can’t do it,” Zubiri said.
Lacson blamed the House of Representatives’ last-minute “pork barrel allocations” for the delay in the budget passage.
“They defy the rules just to make way for their pork…Their insertions, aka pork barrel allocations, which I guess is their main reason for the delay, will not be implemented if the national government operates under a reenacted budget. It serves them right,” Lacson said.
A reenacted budget, he said, has historically given the sitting President wider latitude to spend funds already appropriated in the current year and automatically appearing as savings.
“With a reenacted budget, they could throw the budget at anybody they want because it’s basically a huge lump sum. Congress has no control except oversight,” Lacson said.
Malacanang, however, said it remained optimistic the proposed 2019 national budget will be passed on time despite delays in the House of Representatives.
“The House knows that this is the budget proposal of the Palace. And so, they will have to do their job. If there are questions on the budget, they will raise them and we will respond to them,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.