Lagman: Budget deliberations need more time, Duterte should extend the call for a special session

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte should extend the period of the special session that convened Congress to ensure timely approval of the P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021, Albay District 1 representative Edcel Lagman said Saturday.

In a statement, Lagman said the president should “amend his call” and add four more days to his request for Congress to hold a special session from October 13-16.

Duterte had on Friday certified as urgent the 2021 General Appropriations Bill, House Bill No. 7727, as it sought to ensure that next year’s budget, which has provisions to address the continuing COVID pandemic -19, is passed on time in the middle of a House Speakers fight. between allied legislators.

“While the extraordinary four-day session of Congress from October 13-16, 2020 convened by President Rodrigo Duterte is welcome, as it is necessary to resume consideration of the national budget, the short period may not be sufficient to ensure the passage of the second and third readings of the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (HB No. 7727), “Lagman said.

He said the special session should be extended until the following week, October 19-22, so that individual legislators’ amendments can be addressed in plenary.

“More time is required for the bill for approval in second reading to already include the commission and the individual amendments that must be proposed and approved in plenary session.

“The long tradition of a ‘small committee’ that makes amendments after the approval of the budget bill at second reading must be abandoned to ensure transparency in the procedures that is not achieved by the furtive conclave of the small panel,” he said Lagman. .

On Friday, Duterte issued a proclamation certifying the spending bill as urgent just a day after he asked warring members of the House to fix a leadership contesting passage of the national budget in jeopardy.

The president and several senators warned about the possible delayed approval of the 2021 budget after the Speaker of the House, Alan Peter Cayetano, abruptly suspended the session.

Cayetano moved to pass the national budget at second reading on Tuesday, wrapping up crucial deliberations on the spending bill days before he was supposed to hand over the leadership of the House to Marinduque representative Lord Allan Velasco.

The two lawmakers had agreed to a shared term agreement negotiated by the president, in which Cayetano was supposed to serve until this month, followed by Velasco for 21 months.

But the president tried to stay in command of the House until at least December, citing the need to focus on passing the budget.

However, its decision to suspend the session until mid-November raised concerns and criticism from senators, who said this could further delay the approval of the spending plan, as it would delay the transmission date of the House measure to the Senate. .

Cayetano previously said that the abrupt suspension of the House session would only delay the transmission of the budget bill to the Senate by “one day,” but senators disputed it, saying that printing the spending bill would take at least 3 days.

The delay in the approval of the 2021 budget may lead to a revamped 2020 spending plan, which has no allocations to address the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.