Duterte, lawmakers meet over budget

MANILA, Philippines — It’s time for President Duterte to step into the budget impasse, which is threatening to derail the country’s growth.

This was according to presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, who bared a scheduled meeting last night of Duterte with congressional leaders to discuss ways of ending the deadlock over the P3.757-trillion budget for this year.

Senate and House leaders have been accusing each other of realigning some budget items since the approval of the appropriations measure by the bicameral conference committee last February.

Duterte, who had warned lawmakers and officials of the adverse effect of operating under a reenacted budget, was to serve as moderator between the two chambers, Panelo said.

“You know the style of the President. He listens. He listens and lets the protagonists settle among themselves. He will just act as moderator,” Panelo said at a press briefing.

“I’m just speculating, he may have brought the two together so they can talk and discuss,” he added.

Panelo previously said Duterte would let lawmakers settle their dispute among themselves.

Lawmakers are supposed to submit the version approved by the bicameral conference committee to Malacañang for the President’s signature.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III claimed about P79 billion worth of projects in the version passed by the bicameral conference committee had been “manipulated” by some House members.

House appropriations committee chairman Rolando Andaya Jr. responded by accusing the Senate of realigning about P75 billion after the 2019 budget had been approved at the bicameral panel.

Last Monday, Duterte warned that a reenacted budget would affect economic growth and the delivery of services but maintained that he would not sign an “illegal” document.

“I said my piece: I will not sign anything that would be an illegal document,” the President said during an awarding ceremony for female government employees.

“We will have a slide in the GDP (gross domestic product) if we are going to reenact the budget. And everybody will suffer, including the law enforcement. It will decrease our GDP,” he added.

Asked what Duterte meant when he said “illegal” document, Panelo said the President was referring to “anything that will fall under the prohibitive clause of the Constitution.”

“Anything that is illegal, unconstitutional, he will not be a part of that. Right now there is a controversy between the House and the Senate. The Senate claims that the itemization of the P79-billion funds is unconstitutional. But the House claims that it is not. So, let us see,” the spokesman said. 

Pressed if Duterte was appealing to lawmakers not to make last minute changes in the budget, Panelo replied: “It could mean that way, it could also mean that you settle your differences so that we can have a new budget.”

Panelo is optimistic that the two legislative chambers would be able to settle their differences. He said lawmakers are aware that a reenacted budget would affect the operations of the government.

“The goal of all branches of government is to unite and have as a goal the welfare of the people,” he said.

Panelo, who is also chief presidential legal counsel, claimed last minute amendments to the budget are a “gray area.”

“The Supreme Court will have to decide on that. But they don’t have to raise that as an issue, they can just agree with each other,” he said.

“The final arbiter of any legal issue would be the Supreme Court, but why do you have to go to the Supreme Court if you can settle it among yourselves?”

Expected at last night’s meeting were Sotto, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the finance committee; Camarines Sur Rep. Andaya Jr., Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Sotto said the Senate would be firm on its stand, which is to hold off the transmittal of the GAB to Duterte for signature unless the House leadership withdraws the changes it made to the proposed budget after its ratification by Congress.

Normally, the national budget is passed and signed before the end of December.

“We won’t be there to quarrel but to resolve the issues surrounding the budget,” Lacson said earlier when told of the meeting with the President.

“We have defined our baseline. We cannot dive deeper than what the Constitution provides,” he added.

Marawi rehab delay feared

 As the specter of a reenacted budget looms large, civic leader and opposition senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc has expressed concern over further delays in the rehabilitation of battle-scarred Marawi as well as in the release of funds for the May polls, specially for teachers’ election-duty honoraria.

“What’s important is, an approved budget is legal. Questionable portions – if there are any – should be vetoed, and the remaining parts approved because it’s public service that can be affected here,” Gutoc said in Filipino.

Gutoc noted that Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) administrator Ricardo Jalad earlier said at least P12 billion is needed to rebuild Marawi, but only P3.5 billion has been allotted for such purpose in the proposed 2019 national budget.

“This budget is still P8.5 billion short of the needed funds and if we continue operating under the 2018 reenacted budget, the P3.5 billion may not be used to rehabilitate our city,” said Gutoc, the former spokesperson for the Ranao Rescue Team, which led rescue missions and relief operations at the height of the Marawi siege in 2017.

“Meanwhile, the P32.285-billion proposed 2019 budget for ARMM is still in limbo as the Senate is yet to pass this year’s expenditure plan and send it to the President,” Gutoc said. “This is also not enough, especially that Senate debate records have shown that the implementation of the BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law) would cost P109 billion in the first year, P369 billion in the first three years and will reach P1.981 trillion for a period of 10 years,” she said.

“Let us not waste the product of the decades-old effort of peace talks. Let us not allow insufficient funding to counter our chance at attaining just and lasting peace in the south. Let us do this for Mindanao and the Philippines,” she pointed out.

On possible delay in the release of compensation for teachers and state workers involved in poll duties, Gutoc said no less than Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez himself had raised such scenario if the budget is reenacted.

“Lawmakers are representatives of the people. They are mandated to pass this vital legislation that is based on the needs of the Filipinos. Congress should be transparent and accountable if it’s really representative of the people,” she said.

“Enact a new budget and make these much needed services possible. I appeal to our honorable representatives in both chambers of Congress: duty and responsibility to the public first, before personal interest,” she said.  –  With Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Helen Flores, Delon Porcalla