Andaya bids colleagues farewell

Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., who is incoming budget secretary, bade his colleagues goodbye last night after presenting the proposed P1-trillion 2006 budget, his last official act as House appropriations committee chairman.

"I have come to introduce this (budget) bill, and say my goodbyes. I hope that you will treat me kindly in my new work, but friendships, I understand, should not come in the way of your duty to ‘check and balance’ the department I will lead," he said.

He said as the "new government casual cashier, my powers are circumscribed by the parameters you have set in the GAA (General Appropriations Act), so in short, my annual work plan will be defined by you.

"In fact, if there’s a book I will lay my hand on as I take my oath, it will be the bible of spending — the GAA — that you have painstakingly written," he said.

Andaya is expected to take over tomorrow from outgoing Budget Secretary Romulo Neri, who will return to his previous post as director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority.

He is joining the Cabinet amid a confrontation between President Arroyo, on one hand, and the Senate and the powerful Commission on Appointments, on the other, over the appearance of Cabinet appointees in CA confirmation hearings.

Early last week, Malacañang prohibited Cabinet members from appearing before the CA, prompting a warning from Senate President Franklin Drilon, who is CA chairman, that Cabinet appointments could be rejected. Over the weekend, the Palace appeared to have backtracked.

Andaya, however, does not anticipate problems in winning confirmation.

He said in the coming weeks, he would still attend House sessions, not as a congressman but as budget secretary.

"I will take my place in the back bench among the bureaucrats… I will be there to take your questions, and to receive requests from your constituents," he said.

He said the executive and legislative branches should not quarrel over the budget.

"The two branches need not be rivals for resources but can and should be partners in their allocation, for after all, they share common constituencies and goals," he stressed.

As for the budget, Andaya said it is almost the same as the President proposed it.

He said even the priority development assistance fund (PDAF), commonly known as the congressional pork barrel, has been kept intact.

"The PDAF, which accounts for less than one percent of the budget, remains in the amount as submitted by Malacañang. Nobody can accuse Congress of beating plowshares into pork barrels," he added.

Meanwhile, Drilon said yesterday the new appointees to the Cabinet would still have to undergo scrutiny before the bicameral CA.

Drilon said the designations of former Samar representative Eduardo Antonio Nachura and current congressmen to key Cabinet positions are considered "acting appointments." Nachura has been designated as new chief presidential legal counsel. — With Christina Mendez