House to reassert power over purse

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives is moving to reassert its power over the purse after it slammed the budgetary policies of Malacañang that it said will “threaten the independence” of Congress as a co-equal branch of government.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., committee on accounts chairman Eleandro Jesus Madrona, Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II and Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora led the filing of House Concurrent Resolution No. 10 in “affirming, ensuring and operationalizing the fiscal independence of the Congress of the Philippines.”

“The present budgetary policies formulated by the Executive, through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), insofar as they apply to the Congress of the Philippines (House and the Senate), threaten its independence, encroach on its exclusive domain and violate the principle of separation of powers, upon which the entire fabric of our constitutional system is based,” the House leaders said.