House OKs P3.7-T 2019 nat’l budget

The House of Representatives last night approved the proposed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget on second reading.

The approval came at 9:45 p.m. and capped three weeks of plenary debates. Among the last agencies whose funding was scrutinized was the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

The PCOO was cleared only after its controversial assistant secretary for social media, Mocha Uson, announced her resignation in the Senate. She has consistently refused to appear before the House.

The approved budget for next year includes the P52 billion in alleged pork barrel funds the House earlier realigned from appropriations of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. presented the realignments as amendments coming from the committee on appropriations.

For changes to be proposed by individual members, the House created a “small committee” to receive them. The panel includes Andaya and Minority Leader Danilo Suarez.

“We are appropriating trillions of taxpayers’ money and yet many government agencies are not fully utilizing their appropriations. There is still P1.3 trillion in unspent funds,” Suarez said.

The realigned P52 billion in DPWH funds came from areas where influential lawmakers and administration officials reportedly “parked” their pork barrel funds.

Of that huge amount, P31 billion was returned to the DPWH but for different programs: P10 billion for access roads to tourist destinations; another P10 billion for access roads to trade industries, economic zones and livelihood centers; and P10.8 billion for roads to ease traffic in congested areas throughout the country.

The remaining P21 billion was reallocated as additional money for the Department of Education, which received P3 billion more; Department of Agriculture, P5 billion; state colleges and universities, P1.2 billion; Department of Health, P3 billion for health workers and another P3 billion for health facilities; and P5 billion for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.