President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign the 2020 national budget and announce a new development in the concession agreement between the government and private water utility companies today, Jan. 6.
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Congress submitted the proposed General Appropriations Act to the Palace on Dec. 20 last year but the ceremonial signing has been delayed for a week due to the President’s “thorough scrutiny,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said President Duterte will not veto any provision in the budget bill, even if some lawmakers have expressed hopes that the Chief Executive will get rid of supposed “pork insertions” made by some members of the House of Representatives.
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Malacañang earlier extended the validity of the 2019 budget up to the last day of 2020 to allow government agencies to spend funds for their daily operational costs, citing the delay in the passage of this year’s budget bill.
Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier claimed that about 1,253 budget items worth P83.219 billion were included in the proposed 2020 General Appropriations Act as “source” of funds for pet projects of some congressmen.
The Palace has assured the public, however, that the Chief Executive would wield his veto power to get rid of those insertions in the proposed budget that were deemed unconstitutional.
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Meanwhile, Panelo said the President would make an announcement about the 1997 water concession agreement, but was tight-lipped on specifics.
The President previously assailed the Manila Water and Maynilad for allegedly taking advantage of the concession agreements with “onerous provisions” to milk Filipinos by the billions.
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These provisions bar the government from stopping the private companies from raising water rates—conditions the two utilities used to sue the Philippine government before a Singapore-based arbitral tribunal. When the tribunal ordered the state to pay Maynilad P3.4 billion and Manila Water P7.4 billion to cover their “losses” from being unable to raise their rates, Duterte became irate, threatening the two companies with charges of economic plunder.
The officials of the water distributors later wrote letters to the President expressing their willingness to amend the supposed provisions of the 1997 water deal.
House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez said Sunday the signing into law of the 2020 budget would make it easier to realize the President’s goal of making life more comfortable for Filipinos.
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“The President has been working hard to make a comfortable life for Filipinos. The economic growth is attributed to the sound economic policy of President Duterte who has been pursuing structural reforms needed to guarantee the country’s economic takeoff,” he said.
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. added that the national budget “guarantees a better and more comfortable life for most Filipinos.”
“Our new budget for this year has been designed to support a very strong, sustainable, and equitable growth to be felt by ordinary Filipinos and an appropriations that will make the country more inclusive than what it was the year before,” he said.
