House to pass 2019 R3.757-trillion national budget next week

The House of Representatives is set to pass the proposed 2019 R3.757-trillion national budget on third and final reading on November 28.

Compostela Valley Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora, the main plenary sponsor of the national budget and a member of the "small committee” tasked to scrutinize the amendments to House Bill 8169 or the national budget, said they are in the "final stages" of hammering out the provisions of the spending bill.

“We’re in the final stages of reconciling differences and amendments to the budget, and after that we need to get the budget printed. Our target for third reading [approval] is on November 28,” she said.

Zamora, senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, conceded that they will not be able to pass the national budget on third and final reading this week.

“Unfortunately, we’re still quite in the thick of the amendments. Due to the volume of the amendments requested and agreed upon during the debates over HB No. 8169 alone, combined with the different agencies’ concerns, we’re still going through items,” she said.

She reassured that they are flexing their muscles to ensure the timely passage of the national budget, ready for the signature of President Duterte before the end of the year.

“The small committee has been working with the secretariat day in and out but it’s really a consuming process. Rest assured that we will pass the national budget in time for next year,” Zamora said.

Former President and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earlier assured that there would not be a reenacted budget next year.

House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. also expressed the Lower Chamber's assurance that the 2019 national budget bill will be transmitted to the Senate "as soon as we are done with our rigorous doublechecking and verification of the thousands of line items in a spending measure that will cost taxpayers almost R3.8 trillion."

“We believe that we all have sufficient time in our legislative calendar to pass the budget and send it to President Duterte before the end of the year. We are reiterating our strong position against a reenacted budget because such will be hard to implement, will constrict spending, and will give wide latitude and discretion to the Executive on what projects to implement,” he said.