Senator Panfilo Lacson said Monday he might recommend simply adopting the House version of the 2020 budget if the House leadership indeed realigned only P9.8 billion worth of items to certain agencies, and with the permission of his colleagues and Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
Lacson said this would mean there will no longer be a bicameral conference, and no further insertions and realignments.
“Then we enroll the budget bill for the President’s consideration way ahead of schedule,” Lacson said.
“Not being naughty, it is interesting to see how the small group committee in charge of their members’ individual amendments will react.
“If they have a plan to insert it in the bicam, then that will fail.”
Lacson also said any amendment after the budget’s approval on third and final reading would be a clear violation of the Constitution.
Questioned about his initial assessment of the House of Representatives’ approved version of the 2020 budget, Lacson replied: “So far, that one which we found both in the NEP and House version would indicate sloppy work.
“Initially, I look at it as sloppy work since it appears to be ‘cut and paste’ from the original request as submitted by the proponent. Obviously no vetting was done at all.”
Lacson did not identify the proponent of the project but said the proposal was intended for a province in Cagayan Valley.
“What we are doing is in compliance with the SP’s [Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s] instruction to scrutinize the 2020 budget with a fine-tooth comb,” Lacson said.
The House of Representatives created a small committee to collate and approve until Sept. 23 the congressmen’s individual and institutional amendments in the budget.
The House approved the proposed 2020 budget on Sept. 20, 2019, but submitted it to the Senate only on Oct. 1.