The House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations resumes today, Tuesday, its deliberations on the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 following the three-week impasse on its adoption.
The committee led by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles will hear the presentations of the Trade and Education Departments this afternoon.
“We will resume the budget hearings,” Nograles said.
Scheduled on Wednesday, Aug. 29, are the presentations of the Offices of the President and the Vice President and the Interior and Defense Departments.
Earlier, House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said the “budget impasse” had been resolved as Congress might adopt a hybrid system combining cash-based and obligation-based systems, following a meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The cash-based budgeting system limits the appropriation, bidding, completion of projects and payments within a single year and the first three months of the following year.
Under today’s obligation-based budgeting, the government can spread out the appropriations across two years or more to allow the completion of projects.
Andaya said they had agreed that the budgetary cuts agreed to by the previous speaker would be restored to allow the validity of some payments to one year plus six months or the first half of the following year.
Under the 2019 national budget, the Health department suffered a P35-billion cut, the Education Department’s budget was reduced by P77 billion and the budget of Public Works by P95 billion.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Commission on Elections also got budget reductions of P5 billion.