House opens debates on proposed P2.6-T budget

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives opens floor debates on the proposed P2.606-trillion national budget for 2015 today.

On the eve of plenary discussions, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. assured the nation that as in the past three years, the spending measure would be approved before the end of the year to avoid the reenactment of this year’s outlay.

“We will stick to our tradition of approving the budget before yearend, and right now, we are on track to meet the target deadline,” he said.

The House would try to pass its version of next year’s budget before Congress goes on its first recess later this month after convening its second regular session in July, he added.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said budget debates would start at 10 a.m. from Monday through Friday for the next two weeks.

“We will have daily sessions and work overtime to finish the deliberations,” he said.

The budget would be “pork-less” and would no longer contain lump sums, save for certain appropriations like the calamity fund and the contingency fund, he added.

Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab said next year’s budget would comply with the Supreme Court decisions striking down the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program.

“It will be compliant,” he said. “It will of course be free of appropriations prohibited by the Supreme Court.” 

Ungab and his vice chairmen, including Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, Zenaida Angping of Manila, Luis Quisumbing of Cebu, and Jaye Lacson-Noel of Malabon, will take turns in defending the budget.

Cabinet members and other officials would be on hand to help.

They will speak through Ungab and his colleagues, since House rules do not allow them to participate directly in sessions unless they appear during the Question Hour.

Evardone said calamity and contingency funds, and some lump sums like the internal revenue allotment of local governments and debt service appropriations would be retained in the budget.

“These are items of appropriation which, by their very nature, cannot or are difficult to detail,” he said. “Other than those, all appropriations are listed in detail. That is why the budget now consists of six volumes.” 

Today’s opening debates will focus on general principles the administration used in putting together its 2015 spending proposal.

Also on deck are the budgets of the Department of Finance, Legislative-Executive Advisory Council and National Economic and Development Authority and its attached agencies.

Tomorrow, the House will tackle funding for the Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Justice and their attached agencies, National Security Council, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Games and Amusement Board, Philippine Racing Commission, and Film Development Council.