THE PHILIPPINE STAR
TUESDAY I MARCH 19' 2OI9
House
concedes
to Senate
on budget
By PAOLo ROMERO
The Senate and House of RePre-
sentatives aPPeared tohave ended
their impaisi over the ProPosed
P3.7+riliion national budget for
2019 after the House agreed to
recall its version of the General
ADDroDriations Bill (GAB) that
alieged'ly had illegal and uncon-
stitutional amendments.
The deadlock aPPeared to have
been broken aftei SPeaker Gioria
Macqpagal-Arroyo dispatc}ed San
tuan tlw ReP. Ronaldo Zamora
iast weei to ';negotiate" with the
Senate to have ihe GAB enacted
into law following warnings from
President Duterte and his eco-
nomic managers on the adverse
effects of continuing to oPerate on
the reenacted 2018 General AP-
DroDriations Act.
' denate President Vicente Sotto
lll and Sen Panfilo Lacson in
seDarate interviews said Zamora
' Tuln to Page 5
Andaya that Zamora was not authorized
House FromPasol to mike such commitrnent Lacson said
that was an internal matter the House
relayed the message that the House lead- leadership must rcsolve.
ershio aereed to withdraw its version of He said Zamora again called him
the G'AB"and transmit the original version up yesterday afternoon, reiterating the
or the one ratified bv Consr€ss last Feb. 8. House's decision to withdraw its version
"We will wait f6r tha-t action (with- of the GAB.
drawing amended GAB sent to the Senate)
and if ii is submitted to us as ratified, I the
"I have no rcason to doubt or question
truthfulness of (Zamora's) proposition
will immediately sign it and considerit an that he has been authorized by Speaker
enrolled bill anil send it to the President Arroyo to negotiate with us in breaking
for sisnature," Sotto said. the budset imoasse," Lacson said.
Thi copies of the GAB have Yet to be Senat"e Vin6riff I-eader Franklin Drilon
ohvsicatlv taken out of the Senate but described the move of the House as a step
L"iro.r .iid he has no reason to doubt in the right direction, "a recognition of the
Zamora's statements. correchess of the Senate's legal position."
Sotto said what could happen is that
Zamora's designation came after the
meeting Duterte brokered for leaders of after the House prints the GAB as ratifie4
the two chambers in Malacaffang last it would be signed by Arroyo and sent to
week to end the impasse and have the the Senate.
proposed budget passed. He will sign the enrolled coPY and
- fhe deadloik iame after the Senate transmit the money measure to Malaca-
rcfused to recognize the House version ians for Duterte's signature.
B"ut Duterte is eipected to veto the
of the GAB as ii had realignments and
amendments amountinS to over P95 lump sums that the House had itemized.
billion after it was ratified by the two And'ava had cautioned the President dur-
chambers. ing t(eir meeting that signing the GAB
Sotto had rcpeat€dly said he will not with lump sums, which comPromises
sign the GAB as amended and sent to the about three percent of the budget, could
\ \ t
Senate last week. be unconstitutional. ,
Sotto.said the vetoed lump sums could
Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya
Jr., however, insisted that the House only be the subject of a supplemental budget
"itemized" the lump sums created during that will be passed by Congress when
. the bicameral conference committee on it resumes sessior"t on May 20 - or even
the GAB, adding that the Senate also did as a special session to be called by the
the same to the budget document aJter it Presid'ent - where the two chamber! will
was ratified. itemize or detail the projects tobe funded.
Lacson said he received a call from He said as far as he is concemed, he can
Zamora a Iew days ago and asked hovn' live with the old budget and let Duterte
the deadlock should be resolved. decide on where to put the un.illocated
. "I told him there's no other way around funds.
it except for the House of Reprcsentatives
to recall or withdraw your version of the
Palace welcomes
enrolled bill. Effectively, that's a mere resolution
scrap of paper because the Senate Presi- Malacaflang yesterday welcomed
denl has already stated many times (that reports that the House has agreed to
he won't sign i0," Lacson said. withdraw its itemized version of the 2019
He said-it bears watching whether budget, saying itwould allowthe country
the House will recall their version of the to sustain its economic growth.
eruolled bill "and then from there we will "We w€lcome that they have fina)lY
move forward," seltled their differcnces, s6 we hope that
"I'm willing to close one eye to the they wouldbe submitting the enrolled biil
rcality that congr€ssmen will not agree to and for the President to go over it and siSn
having no pork. But not to a point that it's it if it confoms with the Constitution "
too much to the disadvantage of their own presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo
colleagues - all 52 of them," he said, refer- iaid in a chance intewiew yesterday.
ring to the congressmen who r€portedly Panelo said the resolution of the im-
complained to senators about having ai- passe would allow the Philippines to
locations for projects in their district5 cui. avoid an economic slowdown.
When asked about statements from :- With Alexis Romero, Delon Porcalla
\\ rF{LptJ't tr)Ae€,/