Malacañang welcomed the early passage of the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 in Congress, and assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte will still exercise his power to scrutinize the budget and use his line-item veto power if necessary.
“We will use necessary steps to ensure that the government will operate on a new budget by Jan. 1, 2021,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
However, he said, the President will use his power of line veto as he did in 2019, when he removed P95.37 worth of public works appropriations that had been realigned after the budget was ratified.
Congress on Wednesday approved the 2021 national budget, which is expected to drive the country’s COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts.
The 2021 general appropriation bill sets aside P72.5 billion for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, which the government aims to administer to the general population by the second quarter of 2021.
Malacañang has yet to receive a copy of the budget bill, Roque said Thursday.
House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco expressed confidence in the government’s efforts to beat COVID-19 and recover from its devastating impact next year after the House ratified the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021.
Velasco said the enrolled budget bill will be forwarded to Malacañang next week for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.
“This budget reflects the serious commitment of the Duterte government to defeat COVID-19 and bring the economy back on track,” Velasco said.
“When we keep our commitments to our fellow Filipinos and continue to put their interests first, we will surely overcome the health, social and economic impact of the pandemic,” he added.
Velasco also lauded the 21-member House contingent to the bicameral conference panel, led by Committee on Appropriations Chair Eric Yap, for “successfully fulfilling its mission” to reconcile with the Senate the disagreeing provisions of House Bill 7722 or the general appropriations bill, and to ensure its swift approval.
Yap said the bicameral conference committee approved several changes introduced by the House. These include additional funding of P44.8 billion for the “Build, Build, Build” program under the Department of Public Works and Highways; and P2 billion for the procurement of personal protective equipment or PPE, P434.4 million for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program, P462 million for the Medical Health Assistance Program, and P100 million for mental health program, all under the Department of Health.
Yap said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also received a budget augmentation of P3.177 billion, most of which will go to the Office of the Secretary’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged or Displaced Workers Program or TUPAD.
He said the bicameral conference committee also increased the budget for Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program and the Government Internship Program by P5.09 billion, bringing its total to P19 billion.
The amount will be used for the implementation of TUPAD for workers affected by COVID-19 and for the stipend equivalent to the minimum wage prevailing in the regions of GIP beneficiaries, who are 18 years old and above.
The bicameral committee also allotted P1.6 billion to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for its alternative family care program, which is designed to provide protective services for individuals, families and communities in difficult circumstances.
Senate finance committee chairman Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, meanwhile, acknowledged that there were compromises made to ensure the swift passage of the budget.
In particular, he said, the realignment of billions in the infrastructure budget lodged in various congressional districts could have delayed the passage of the bill.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, who questioned the huge DPWH budget, proposed to move some P63 billion from multi-purpose buildings, right of way, double appropriations and overlapping projects.
Despite his calls to defund these projects, Lacson said the allocation for the multi-purpose buildings was even increased in the bicameral conference committee report.
“I will not mention the locations anymore because I don’t want to put some people on the spot. Suffice it to say that I know where additional funds went to, or are intended to be appropriated. So let’s leave it at that,” Lacson said.
Angara acknowledged these sticking points.
“Yes, we discussed it. But again, you take away those projects from a certain congressman’s district, you’re gonna have a problem and that’s not gonna allow you to pass the budget by yearend,” he said.
He said there’s always compromise in any budget.
“Otherwise, you would never get your budget passed if you don’t want to give and take a little bit,” he added.
He said the congressmen are naturally inclined to assert funding for the projects that are being requested by their constituents, such as roads, classrooms, and multi-purpose buildings.
“You talk to any congressman and they will tell you, their districts are asking [these] from them,” Angara said.
“When you are up for re-election in three years, your constituents will ask you, ‘Did you bring home the bacon to our area, to our district?’ So that’s what they talk about, and you can’t avoid that,” he said.
