Congress revives budget oversight

La maNers ma have lost their discretion over Eillions of pesos in lump sum puElic funds, Eut the ill continue to have a Eig sa in the utilization of people’s mone .

The Senate and the House of Representatives have revived the joint congressional oversight committee on government e penditures to monitor disEursements from the P . - trillion national Eudget.

avao it Rep. Isidro 8ngaE, chairman of the House appropriations committee, said the panel as revived after the Supreme ourt declared the Priorit evelopment ssistance Fund P F or porN Earrel unconstitutional.

It’s clear the e ecutive Eranch implements the la , the legislative Eranch legislates and conducts oversight, 8ngaE told HE .

The po er of oversight is inherent in the po ers of ongress. :e ill checN the aEsorptive capacit of the departments after e have given them funds. :e ill also closel monitor the implementation of the projects listed in the eneral ppropriations ct , he added.

8ngaE said memEers of the House tions and Senate finance committees ould comprise the oversight panel. He said the P -Eillion rehaEilitation

fund for calamity- hit areas is among the items they will closely monitor.

He assured the public that the oversight panel would not violate the SC ruling, which barred lawma ers from any “post- enactment participation in the GAA.

Ungab said Congress also activated the oversight panel to monitor the implementation of the multibillion- peso conditional cash transfer program.