By Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA
MANILA — The Senate leadership on Wednesday said it is willing to “work double time, overtime” to approve the proposed 2019 national budget before Congress adjourns for its December break, following an appeal from the Executive department.
“There’s an appeal from Malacañang and all agencies if we can approve the budget before January 1 of 2019,” Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters after a meeting with Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno at the Senate.
He said many projects, including those under the “Build, Build, Build” program of the administration, might be delayed or might not be enforced because of the election ban in February if the budget is not approved by end of 2018.
“So ang plano namin, ang counter proposal namin is to work double time (So our plan, our counterproposal is to work double time),” he said.
Zubiri said the Senate can start its plenary deliberations by December 4 and have it approved on second and third reading by December 11 or 12.
He said the Senate will hold plenary deliberations from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Friday, December 7, and continue on the same schedule until December 12 if necessary with the hope of ratifying the budget on December 13.
“We would like to show the public that the Senate is willing to work double time, over time, even though we just got the budget measure only a few days ago,” Zubiri said.
“But we will do our job. Di namin papahiyain ang bayan, gagawin namin ang aming (We would let the country down, we will do our) duty which is to approve the budget before the end of this year,” he added.
Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto II said the Senate could approve the budget before the end of the year if senators rush the interpellation period.
“Kung bibilisan ang interpellation kaya (If we hurry the interpellation, we can do it),”Sotto said in a separate interview.
Meanwhile, Senator Loren Legarda said she wants the budget passed within the year to avoid a reenactment even for the first month of 2019.
“There’s the timeline we are following and trying the best of our ability to abide with the timeline. We will try whatever is physically feasible as long as there is no physical impossibility that we pass and finish,” Legarda said in an interview.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Finance said if her colleagues would agree, she is even willing to work until December 19 or even the week after the Christmas break.
“As the chairman of the committee of finance, I want the budget to be passed and to be signed by the President within the end of December to avoid a reenactment even just for one month. Best efforts,” Legarda said.
