Senator Loren Legarda, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, assured yesterday that Congress will come up to unified this coming year of 2018 for General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“I will assure that it will not be a reenacted budget,” she said in a radio interview.
The possibility of a reenacted budget surfaced after Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez insisted Friday that the House will maintain a “hard stances” on its approval version of the 2018 GAA, which, contrary to the Senate, granted the Philippine National Police its P900-million proposed budget for its flagship program, Oplan Double Barrel.
The House also protested the Senate’s slashing more than P50 billion from the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allocation over unresolved right-of-w (ROW) issues and possible “insertions” of pork barrel funds, as pushed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Legarda, however, stressed there's “no problem” over Lacson’s proposal and said they are still amenable to retain the DPWH budget.
She asked the DPWH to clearly identify road and infrastructure projects with problems with ROW so they can return the allocation for those without any issues.
However,Sen. Sonny Angara, Finance Committee vice-chairman, dismissed Alvarez’s threat as just a “negotiation style.” The Angara said he believes that the Speaker will also be open to compromise. We have our own different version of negotiation approaching style what I mean is based on my experience in politics I've been encountered tough conversation when it comes to lawmakers but in the end, they granted it, so there's no compromise and once in for all it's being unfair, so it means there is no law at all!The Angara said.
Senator Ralph Recto said he believes, confidently that there will be an agreement with the House of Representatives.and Recto added a reenacted budget is “not good for the country.”
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, for his part, on Saturday said it would be better to “talk first” regarding the conflicting provisions before issuing such threats.he also added we do hopes that the two Houses will come to a compromise.
The bicameral conference committee is set up on Tuesday to convene a new, for further discussion regarding the proposal 2018 national budget.
Malacañang believes that both houses of Congress will be able to sort out their differences so that the government will not have a reenacted budget for 2018.
“Well, anything is a possibility and it will really be up to the members of the bicameral committee to discuss and to thresh out the differences in the budget. I am pretty sure that we could find a good resolution to resolved this matter.
” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said over Radyo Pilipinas Saturday. Andanar said that the standoff between the two chambers is nothing to be worried about it and the government will still get the proposed budget for 2018.
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