Gullas seeks early submission of 2007 budget

A House leader asked President Arroyo yesterday to submit her proposed national budget for 2007 long before her 30-day deadline ends on Aug. 24.

Deputy Majority Leader Eduardo Gullas said early submission of the budget would enable House members to speed up work on the measure.

"If we had our way, we would have preferred that the President turned over the new budget to Congress right after her State of the Nation Address last July 24. We could have worked on the bill right away," he said.

He said he has no doubt that Budget Secretary Ronaldo Andaya Jr., a former congressman, would convince the President to submit the budget early.

"Nonoy Andaya, having been appropriations committee chairman for more than eight years, knows how rigorous congressional budget scrutiny can be. So we’re sure he fully appreciates the need to have the budget proposal submitted early," he added.

Under the Constitution, the President has 30 days from the opening of every regular session to present to Congress "a budget of expenditures and sources of financing, including receipts from existing and proposed revenue measures."

Congress opened its third and last regular session last July 24.

Last year, Mrs. Arroyo submitted her proposed P1.053-trillion 2006 budget at the end of her 30-day deadline on Aug. 24. Congress has failed to approve her proposal. The government has thus been forced to operate on the basis of the reenacted P907-billion 2005 outlay since January this year.

With less than five months left of the year, the administration is fast losing hope that the 2006 spending measure could still be passed. It has proposed a P46.9-billion supplemental budget to augment the recycled 2005 outlay.

Andaya has recommended to the President and the Cabinet an expenditure program of P1.137 trillion for 2007.

He has described the proposal as a "pro-growth measure" since it would increase spending in all areas "except debt service."

"Due to robust tax collection, spending for economic and social services will swell, while interest payments are expected to shrink," he said.

The proposed budget for next year would be supported by revenues projected to reach P1.118 trillion and borrowings of P63 billion.

Congress failed to approve the 2006 budget after the Senate reduced it by P64 billion to substantially bring down the projected P125-billion budget deficit.

Included in the reduction were P8 billion in new appropriations for Kilos Asenso and Kalayaan Barangay projects. Senators suspected the funds were part of the President’s pork barrel, but Malacañang officials claimed the money was intended for local government units.

Mrs. Arroyo and her House allies wanted all appropriations restored, but the Senate insisted on cutting the budget. — Jess Diaz