by Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA
Two senators welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that he would not sign an “illegal document” amid allegations of last-minute amendments made by the House of Representatives in the proposed 2019 national budget.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed delight over the decision of the President not to sign anything that would be considered illegal in the spending bill, stressing that he also would not sign the document if the House insists on its amendments that were introduced after ratification.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll save him the trouble by not signing it,” Sotto told reporters in a message late Monday.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, for his part, said the House leadership should take a hint from the President in not signing an illegal budget if it is really indeed supportive of the administration’s legislative agenda.
“He (the President) is correct. What I can’t understand is why the House leadership cannot take the hint from President Duterte himself,” Lacson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Lacson earlier bared that the House leadership manipulated the PHP3.757-trillion proposed 2019 budget to favor Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s allies.
He said such manipulation took place after the budget had been ratified, which is a violation of the legislative process and the 1987 Constitution.
Lacson revealed that the lower chamber slashed some PHP72.319 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Major Final Output (MFO) 1 and 2 totaling PHP216 billion.
He said the amount was realigned to the pet projects or pork barrel of House members.
He noted that the MFO 1 and 2 refer to institutional projects, many of which had undergone years of planning. These include the Asset Preservation Program, Network Development Program, Bridge Program, Flood Management Program, Convergence and Special Support Program, including the ‘Build, Build, Build’ legacy project of the administration.
“Speaker Arroyo said she is in full support of the President’s agenda but look at what they have done,” Lacson said.
