President may sign 2019 budget before Holy Week – Nograles

Duterte may sign into law the proposed 2019 national budget before the Holy Week but may include a veto message, according to a Palace official.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the imminent approval of the 13.7-trillion national budget would allow the government to catch up on infrastructure spending and prevent any slowdown of growth after weeks of operating on a reenacted budget.

At present, the budget proposal is under review by the Office of the President and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

"Well, from what I know, it is being vetted, reviewed and we are hopeful that the President will sign the budget maybe this week or next week. Hopefully, before the Holy Week the President may sign it,”

Nograles said in an interview with reporters at the Palace.

Asked if the President would veto certain items in the proposed spending plan for the year, Nograles affirmed that a veto message may be forthcoming but could not reveal which provisions will be affected.

Every year, the President has a veto message and that's part of the prerogative of the President to write a veto message on the proposed national budget. Before he signs it, the veto message will be vetted and finalized," he said in Filipino.

Controversial realignments

The proposed national budget was transmitted to the Palace late last month after weeks of impasse in Congress over controversial last-minute realignments by some lawmakers.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III signed the 2019 budget proposal last month but asked the President to exercise his veto power over alleged unconstitutional 175 billion worth of realignments.

The House-led changes were reportedly done after the bicameral conference committee had ratified the proposed budget.

Once the 2019 national budget is signed into law, Nograles expressed confidence the government could step up the investments on infrastructure development.

The government, however, would have to wait for the end of the election spending ban before it could proceed with the infrastructure projects, he added.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has enforced a ban on construction of public works from March 29 to May 12.

"Ideally, we want that as soon as the budget is signed, we will catch up with the infrastructure projects in 2019," Nograles said.

"We still have an election ban, so you will have to wait for the election ban to be lifted for you to start your infrastructure projects," he added.

As a result of the delayed budget implementation, Nograles explained that the effectivity of the new national budget would go beyond December 2019 and may last until mid-2020.

Since the 2019 national budget and the anticipated 2020 outlay will overlap, Nograles said there would be more infrastructure projects implemented next year.

"It will be good for the economy kasi mas marami kang makikita na mga infra projects that are coming in so sa job generation maganda rin yan pero sana hindi tayo mabulunan sa dami ng project," he said.

He admitted that under a reenacted budget, the government could not implement capital outlay or infrastructure projects since it will follow the itemized listing of projects from the previous year.

"Obviously, you can't cement a road that has already been cemented or build a bridge that has already been built," he said.

"The economy will be affected because you have no infrastructure spending so the first casualty is the 'Build, Build, Build' program of the government," he said in Filipino. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)