Diokno sees disbursements cut by ₧44B in Q1
TOTAL disbursements will be reduced by P44 billion if the budget will be reenacted for the first quarter next year, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said on Wednesday.
Diokno told reporters in a Palace briefing he expects the budget to take effect by March after its enactment by mid-February.
“We estimate that in total, a reenacted budget for the first quarter of 2019 will reduce total disbursements by an estimated 44 billion [pesos] for one quarter—if it is delayed by one quarter. However, if it’s not passed at all...on a full-year
₧219.8 billion
basis it will reach 219.8 billion or 220 billion [pesos],” he added.
He noted that the Senate promised to reconvene on January 14 to finish scrutinizing the budget bill, so he estimates it will be approved before end of January. However, he said it will still have to go to the printing press for about a week. See “Disbursements cut,” A2
Total of disbursement cuts projected for full year of 2019 if the reenacted budget is not replaced by a new Gaa after the first quarter
Then, the Department of Budget and Management will review the General Appropriations Bill line by line and create a Statement of Difference between the version of the budget as submitted by the President and the GAB. “So, it takes about another week, and then [there’s a requirement under the law] that you need 15 days after the signing for the law to take effect. So, [we may be talking about the period around March],” he said.
This was after the budget chief and Malacañang confirmed that the President will no longer be calling for Congress to have a special session to finish the passage of the budget before year-end, as originally requested by the economic team.
“As you know, we did not wait for 30 days before we submitted the budget. We submitted on Day 1, as we did with the 2018 budget. Unfortunately, it took the lower house four months to pass their version of what is called General Appropriations Bill. Given the limited time, the Senate deliberations and the Bicameral Conference Committee is set for next year. So now we are faced with the prospect of a reenacted budget at least for the first quarter of 2019,” he said.
He reiterated that having a reenacted budget will be “detrimental to the economic growth
and development objectives of the Duterte administration,” especially at a time that the government intends to ramp up investments on public infrastructure, poverty alleviation and social services. Nonetheless, he said they are still hopeful that legislators will see the urgency and wisdom in passing at the soonest possible time, the national budget for next year.
He also said the government operating under a reenacted budget would not be a recurring problem in the succeeding years of the Duterte administration as he is hoping for a “friendlier” Congress, whose membership will change after the May midterm elections.
Meanwhile, Diokno also tagged House Majority Leader and
Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando G. Andaya Jr. and House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo E. Suarez among the lawmakers following up on the status of the release of the road user’s fund.
“Marami nang lumapit sa akin. I won’t name names ’no. Marami nang lumapit sa akin na pulitiko na tinatanong iyong status nga ng road user’s fund na iyon, kailan mari-release and so forth. Sabi ko, hindi ko iri-release iyan until that issue on the Road Board is settled [There are a lot of people who went to me. I won’t name names. There are a lot of politicians who asked about the status of the road user’s fund, when will it be released and so forth, I said, I won’t release it until that issue on the Road Board is settled],” he said. Malacañang said it supports
Diokno’s position to scrap the Road Board amid allegations by some lawmakers it is being used for corrupt practice, noting that the President is ready to sign into law the bill calling for its abolition.
The measure has been approved by both chambers, but the House under the new leadership that assumed office in late July, adopted a new resolution rescinding the measure. The Senate does not want to recognize such resolution, saying the matter is in the hands of the President at this time.
Moreover, former Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez had claimed on Sunday that Diokno’s refusal to approve the use of the road user’s tax in the 2019 budget has caused some lawmakers to attack
the credibility of the budget secretary.
During a “Question Hour” at the House last week, Diokno was accused by Andaya of inserting P51 billion worth of projects in the 2019 budget of the DPWH without the approval of Duterte and favoring a contractor, CT Leoncio Construction.
Diokno corrected Andaya, saying the added budget for the DPWH was P75 billion, and it was approved by Duterte. He said it was not an “insertion” but an “augmentation” and perfectly within the regular process of crafting the budget. He also denied any involvement with CT Leoncio Construction. The Palace said Diokno still enjoys the trust of the President despite the allegations against him.