Velasco: ‘No pork’ in House version of 2021 budget
MANILA – House of Representatives Speaker Lord Allan Velasco assured that there were no pork funds in the version of the General Appropriations Bill or the 2021 national budget that was passed on third and final reading last week.
Velasco said the small committee tasked to amend the approved bill will only realign appropriations to give way to departments that need more.
“Let me assure you that there is no pork in the budget and that the small committee would only do institutional amendments in the departments and agencies asking for more budgets,” Velasco said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
“Right now we’re just doing a lot of institutional amendments. After that, the Senate will review it also, they will scrutinize it also. Then it comes to bicam. A lot can happen in the bicam and definitely we will push for fair and equitable distribution,” he added.
Velasco also noted that the House will try to transmit next year’s budget to the Senate by next week, earlier than the target date of transmission of the measure on Nov. 5.
“We agreed on Oct. 28, best effort of the House. But Oct. 28 can actually be made Oct. 30. But I believe Chairman Eric Yap has already committed that we will transmit the budget by Oct. 28,” Velasco said.
The House on Friday passed the budget bill on final reading, after President Rodrigo Duterte certified it as urgent.
The P4.5- trillion budget includes funds for coronavirus pandemic response. Delaying i ts passage may l ead to a reenacted budget, which does not include provisions to address the ongoing crisis./
PN