Bicam OKs 2015 budget
More people satisfied with Aquino’s performance – survey
President Aquino’s public satisfaction rating has further improved, climbing five points to +39 in the last quarter survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The House was represented by Guimaras Rep. Jorge Carlos “JC” Rahman Nava, vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, in yesterday’s second bicameral conference committee meeting at the Senate.
Escudero said ironing out of the differing versions of the national budget by both panels went smoothly during the brief meeting.
He said a big chunk of the realigned funds came from the unprogrammed funds from the Metro Rail Transit (MRT). The bicameral committees only restored for MRT the payment for the remaining bonds, which the government is paying interests at 15 percent, and the 6.6 billion for the payment of taxes in connection with the MRT Build- Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract.
The remaining bonds, according to Escudero, are approximately 4 billion or 16 percent of the bonds not bought by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank.
The rehabilitation of the MRT in the unprogrammed fund is more or less 5 billion, he added.
Senate version adopted Escudero said that both committees agreed to adopt the Senate version on the definition of “savings.” The bicameral committees prohibit post- budget enactment intervention of projects by lawmakers.
The Senate’s definition of savings, as approved, refers to portions or balances of any released appropriations which have not been obligated as a result of any of the following:
- Final discontinuance or abandonment of an ongoing program, activity, or project (P/A/P) by the head of the agency concerned due to causes not attribut- able to the fault or negligence of the concerned agency to implement the said P/A/P during the validity of the appropriations.
- Non- commencement of the P/A/P for which the appropriations is released. For this purpose, noncommencement shall refer to the inability of the agency or its duly authorized procurement agent to obligate the released allotment or other causes not attributable to the fault or negligence of the agency concerned during the validity of the appropriations.
- Decreased cost resulting from improved efficiency during the implementation or until the completion by agencies of their P/A/Ps; provided that the agencies will still be able to deliver the targets and services as approved in the General Appropriations Act (GAA or national budget); and
- Difference between the approved budget for the contract and the contract award price.
Savings may likewise refer to available balances of appropriations arising from unused compensation or abolished positions; non-entitlement to allowance and benefits; leaves of absence without pay; and unutilized pension or benefits, and retirement benefits arising from death of pensioners, decrease in the number of retirees, or other related causes.
Programmed appropriations which have not been released or allotments not obligated due to the fault of the agency concerned shall not be considered savings.
Penal provisions
Escudero also said that the penal provisions against the illegal use of appropriations have been placed at the level of department secretaries.
Escudero said they agreed not to provide penal provisions, such as suspension, fine, or imprisonment in the budget because it might be struck down by the Supreme Court as a rider “because it is not an integral part of the budget.”
He said that in case of irregular use of the budget, penalties are already in place in the Revised Administrative Code, the Code of Unethical Conduct, and the Anti- Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Escudero also said that the committees did not restore 8 billion for the Bangsamoro Basic Law because it was part of a proposed budget errata submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“If the Bangsamoro Basic Law will be approved, there will be a Bangsamoro Transition Commission which will handle the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) fund amounting to 24 billion. That’s enough (for Bangsamoro),” Escudero stressed.
Palace grateful Malacañang thanked the Senate and Congress for the approval of the proposed 2.606-trillion national budget in the bicameral conference committee.
“We’d like to thank our fellow workers in Congress and Senate for devoting their time and attention to the crafting of the national budget,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing Wednesday.
“The debates have been very vigorous, both sides have been called to produce the numbers, to produce the basis for our submission and we thank them for that,” she said.
“We always go through a very rigorous process of deliberations when it comes to the national budget, and we look forward to the final steps of getting the approved bill from bicam to the President’s table,” she added. (With a report from Madel Sabater Namit)