Senate supportive of cash-based 2019 budget - Lacson
Published Aug 15, 2018 15:07 pm
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Updated Aug 15, 2018 15:07 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday said the Senate had chosen to support Malacañang’s cash-based appropriations under the proposed 2019 national budget to avert the possibility of a reenacted budget as this would greatly affect the implementation of significant government projects.
Senator Panfilo Lacson
(JAY GANZON / MAN ILA BULLETIN) “We already made our stand in our caucus yesterday (Tuesday night) that we are supporting and we are unanimous on this. We are supporting the cash-based budget for 2019, if only to avert the possibility of a reenacted budget,” Lacson told reporters in an interview. Citing the country’s experience during former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Lacson said senators are not keen on repeating its past experience where the government has to work on a reenacted budget every election year. “Ang experience natin during the time of former PGMA (Arroyo’s initials), ang pattern is, every time magkakaroon ng election year the following year reenacted ang budget,” “It happened in 2003, it happened in 2006 para sa 2007, ganoon ang pattern. And we don’t want that to happen because naka-float ang budget. Because lahat appropriated na for certain projects. So kung tapos na ang project, ano mangyayari sa budget natin?” Lacson pointed out. “Walang realignment; paano mo ire-realign, reenacted nga? Pero ang implication is, ang Executive, kaya gusto ng Executive because it’s a whole lump sum budget kasi reenacted. Walang appropriation, walang items in the year to which that budget is intended to be passed. Say in 2019 (lahat) naka-float,” he explained. Lacson, a vocal critic of the Arroyo administration, warned as such that a reenacted budget is “prone to manipulation” because the national budget for 2018 would become a big lump sum budget for 2019. "We have made our position in a caucus yesterday, all-senators caucus, that we are supporting a cash-based over a reenacted budget. I don’t know where it will go from here pero yan ang position ng Senate,” he said. Lacson said that even though Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. Loren Legarda had encouraged some sub-committees to proceed with their committee hearings, they find it pointless to hold hearings while Malacañang and the House still in a stand-off. “It’s pointless kasi mag-committee hearing (kami pero) at best magiging parang oversight hearing ‘yan. “I hope it will come to pass, itong standoff na nangyari. Somehow, somewhere dapat sana may resolution. And this should be resolved between Malacañang and the House of Representatives,” Lacson said. Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, on Tuesday night, said budget hearings in the Senate have been suspended to give the Palace and the House of Representatives room to resolve the impasse. But during the all-senators’ caucus, Sotto said senators agree that if ever a reenacted budget would be pushed, it would only be for Personal Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE). “Capital outlay must not be reenacted. That is the Senate position,” Sotto said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson(JAY GANZON / MAN ILA BULLETIN) “We already made our stand in our caucus yesterday (Tuesday night) that we are supporting and we are unanimous on this. We are supporting the cash-based budget for 2019, if only to avert the possibility of a reenacted budget,” Lacson told reporters in an interview. Citing the country’s experience during former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Lacson said senators are not keen on repeating its past experience where the government has to work on a reenacted budget every election year. “Ang experience natin during the time of former PGMA (Arroyo’s initials), ang pattern is, every time magkakaroon ng election year the following year reenacted ang budget,” “It happened in 2003, it happened in 2006 para sa 2007, ganoon ang pattern. And we don’t want that to happen because naka-float ang budget. Because lahat appropriated na for certain projects. So kung tapos na ang project, ano mangyayari sa budget natin?” Lacson pointed out. “Walang realignment; paano mo ire-realign, reenacted nga? Pero ang implication is, ang Executive, kaya gusto ng Executive because it’s a whole lump sum budget kasi reenacted. Walang appropriation, walang items in the year to which that budget is intended to be passed. Say in 2019 (lahat) naka-float,” he explained. Lacson, a vocal critic of the Arroyo administration, warned as such that a reenacted budget is “prone to manipulation” because the national budget for 2018 would become a big lump sum budget for 2019. "We have made our position in a caucus yesterday, all-senators caucus, that we are supporting a cash-based over a reenacted budget. I don’t know where it will go from here pero yan ang position ng Senate,” he said. Lacson said that even though Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. Loren Legarda had encouraged some sub-committees to proceed with their committee hearings, they find it pointless to hold hearings while Malacañang and the House still in a stand-off. “It’s pointless kasi mag-committee hearing (kami pero) at best magiging parang oversight hearing ‘yan. “I hope it will come to pass, itong standoff na nangyari. Somehow, somewhere dapat sana may resolution. And this should be resolved between Malacañang and the House of Representatives,” Lacson said. Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, on Tuesday night, said budget hearings in the Senate have been suspended to give the Palace and the House of Representatives room to resolve the impasse. But during the all-senators’ caucus, Sotto said senators agree that if ever a reenacted budget would be pushed, it would only be for Personal Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE). “Capital outlay must not be reenacted. That is the Senate position,” Sotto said.