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Friday, March 29, 2024

Pork insertions delay budget okay–solons

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Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday blamed the insertion of pork barrel as the cause of delay in the House approval of the proposed P3.757-trillion national budget for next year.

“The delay is caused by unfinished individual insertions in the 2019 House version of general appropriations bill,” said Lacson in a media briefing.

He recalled there were four reenacted budgets in the past—all approved during election years and all under the time of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Arroyo is the present Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“So, it may not be a mere coincidence that under Speaker Arroyo, and the midterm elections next year, all indications point to another reenacted budget,” he added.

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Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday admitted there may not be enough time for the Senate to approve next year’s budget if the House of Representatives would pass it by Nov. 28.

“That is too late,” said Sotto, raising fears that they might not be able to finish it on time.

“They have to do better than that and submit earlier,” Sotto said.

Sought for his comment, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri echoed the same concern, saying the target approval in the House would make it “more difficult” for the Senate to approve it by Dec. 12.

The House leaders have set Nov. 28 as its target to approve the bill and pass it onto the Senate. Congress is set to go on Christmas break on Nov. 14.

“We will be cramming on the budget if we stick to the six-session days left to us by the delay,” he said.

Instead of extending its sessions for another week before the Christmas break, Zubiri said he would propose to the senators that they extend their work week to Monday to Friday, instead of the regular Monday to Wednesday.

House Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay Jr., meanwhile, said the discovery of about P50 billion in insertions has caused the delay of the national budget's approval and transmittal to the Senate.

At a press conference, Pichay said the delay in the approval of the budget was because of a “certain controversy.”

“There was a P50 billion that was inserted. We were able to trace that. P50 billion is not easy to realign,” he said.

READ: Lacson warns vs return of ‘happy pork barrel days’

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