Andaya admits 'ill-conceived projects' get funding in approved budget
By Roel Tibay
Published Nov 21, 2018 07:26 pm
By Ben Rosario
Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. on Wednesday admitted that the proposed P3.757 trillion national budget for 2019 contained funding proposals for “ill-conceived projects” which the House of Representatives retained notwithstanding misgivings aired against the projects.
Newly elected House Majority Floor Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. (Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement issued a day after the Lower House approved on third and final reading House Bill 8169 or the proposed 2019 General appropriations Act, Andaya said their reservations were “conveyed to” President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Although we saw the need to overhaul certain segments of the budget, because after verification we discovered that the proposed projects were not what the people wanted, we decided to retain them, and just conveyed to the President our belief that the ill-conceived projects be implemented with the strictest oversight,” Andaya said.
Andaya did not specify which among the Duterte proposed projects are considered “ill-conceived”.
“It is completely aligned with the President’s thrust of using this budget and tax revenues to finance progress and peace.
Not one major program of the President was scrapped,” stated Andaya.
Earlier, the House leadership discovered some P52.5 billion in alleged “parked pork barrel” funds for various congressional districts.
Convening itself into a committee of the whole, the House decided to re-allocate the funds to vital projects that require additional funding.
A number of congressmen aired suspicions that a Malacanang intervention prevented the House leadership from fully implementing the decision of the committee of the whole and that funding for the questionable projects remained.
“The budget was approved in full compliance with all the rules, laws, and jurisprudence in authorizing appropriations and the same fidelity was exercised in crafting the provisions that will guide the budget’s implementation,” explained Andaya.
“In the event there will be a slight delay in the enactment of the General Appropriations Law for 2019, we are confident that the established rules on the use of the reenacted budget during the short, interim period will apply without affecting the operations of the government, nor curb the delivery of services to the people, or radically setback the timetable of public projects,” he said.
Andaya said the Lower House “will respect the Senate’s timetable” in acting on the proposed budget.
“Like any measure, the Senate reviews, and in the process rejects or accepts, the improvements and amendments we have made on the national budget,” he stated.
He added: “It is also in the same constructive spirit that we will treat and assess the Senate changes to the national budget when it is sent to a House-Senate conference for reconciliation.”
The approved bill retains and in some cases augments the funding for all the major programs requested by President Duterte.
Voting 196 in favor and 8 against, the Lower House passed the funding measure as senators started pummeling the chamber with accusations that the delay in approval is being allegedly caused by congressional insertions.
Newly elected House Majority Floor Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. (Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement issued a day after the Lower House approved on third and final reading House Bill 8169 or the proposed 2019 General appropriations Act, Andaya said their reservations were “conveyed to” President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Although we saw the need to overhaul certain segments of the budget, because after verification we discovered that the proposed projects were not what the people wanted, we decided to retain them, and just conveyed to the President our belief that the ill-conceived projects be implemented with the strictest oversight,” Andaya said.
Andaya did not specify which among the Duterte proposed projects are considered “ill-conceived”.
“It is completely aligned with the President’s thrust of using this budget and tax revenues to finance progress and peace.
Not one major program of the President was scrapped,” stated Andaya.
Earlier, the House leadership discovered some P52.5 billion in alleged “parked pork barrel” funds for various congressional districts.
Convening itself into a committee of the whole, the House decided to re-allocate the funds to vital projects that require additional funding.
A number of congressmen aired suspicions that a Malacanang intervention prevented the House leadership from fully implementing the decision of the committee of the whole and that funding for the questionable projects remained.
“The budget was approved in full compliance with all the rules, laws, and jurisprudence in authorizing appropriations and the same fidelity was exercised in crafting the provisions that will guide the budget’s implementation,” explained Andaya.
“In the event there will be a slight delay in the enactment of the General Appropriations Law for 2019, we are confident that the established rules on the use of the reenacted budget during the short, interim period will apply without affecting the operations of the government, nor curb the delivery of services to the people, or radically setback the timetable of public projects,” he said.
Andaya said the Lower House “will respect the Senate’s timetable” in acting on the proposed budget.
“Like any measure, the Senate reviews, and in the process rejects or accepts, the improvements and amendments we have made on the national budget,” he stated.
He added: “It is also in the same constructive spirit that we will treat and assess the Senate changes to the national budget when it is sent to a House-Senate conference for reconciliation.”
The approved bill retains and in some cases augments the funding for all the major programs requested by President Duterte.
Voting 196 in favor and 8 against, the Lower House passed the funding measure as senators started pummeling the chamber with accusations that the delay in approval is being allegedly caused by congressional insertions.