The House Committee on Appropriations quickly terminated on Friday, September 3, its deliberations on the P8.18-billion proposed 2022 budget of the Office of the President (OP) -- a move objected and questioned by opposition lawmakers.

The committee was only 10 minutes into its hearing when Pangasinan 6th District Representative Tyrone Agabas moved to end their budget discussion.

The motion was seconded by House Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Party list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy.

"Following the long-established tradition of extending parliamentary courtesy to a co-equal branch of government, such as the Office of the President, and in re-establishing the tradition, I move that we terminate the budget briefing of the Office of the President," Agabas said.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was present in the hearing.

Kabataan Party list Representative Sarah Elago was heard objecting the motion.

The panel had to suspend for a few minutes to settle the dispute.

Upon resumption, presiding officer and Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe ruled that Elago's objection was void because she is not a member of the House appropriations panel.

"The objection of Honorable Sarah Elago cannot be counted considering that she is not a member of the Committee on Appropriations, so the chair will now rule the motion as approved," Dalipe said.

'Lack of transparency'

Progressive solons, however, expressed their displeasure over the supposed rush in terminating the scrutiny of the President's budget.

"Yong sinasabing tradisyon na natin...hindi po dapat i-apply ngayon 'yan, Mr. Chair. Marami po tayong pangangailangan ngayong panahon ng pandemya (The tradition you were citing should not be applied now, Mr. Chair. We have of lot of concerns to consider at a time of pandemic)" ACT Teachers Party list Rep. France Castro told the House panel.

"Ano ba ang tinatago ng Office of the President? Hindi ba nila kayang ijustify iyong mga nilagay nilang line item? Iyong mga nilagay nila ditong napakalalaking amount para sa intelligence fund (What is the Office of President hiding? Can't they justify the line item they proposed? Like the huge amount for its intelligence fund)?" she asked.

Like Castro, Elago also said "there are a number of pressing concerns that need to be brought before this budget briefing of the OP".

"Obligasyon po natin bilang mga kinatawan na iparating ang mga demands, panawagan ng ating mga constituents (It our obligation as representatives of the people to raise the demands and appeals of our constituents)...Why is the Committee now denying this very right to the House members espcially those from the minority now?" she added.

"This is the last budget briefing of the OP under the Duterte administration," Elago pointed out.

House deputy minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate joined his colleagues in the opposition, saying the swift termination of their deliberations "is emblematic of the lack of transparency under the Duterte administration."

"It is very important for the Office of the President's proposed budget to be open to interpellation and scrutiny because it is through this that Congress and the people may know if the funds they entrusted to the office had been disbursed based on their published intent," he said.

"It is thru this briefing that officials from the OP are directly engaged during interpelllation and questioning by the individual members of the House of Representatives. This is an opportunity for members to also perform their duties in the checks and balance of the different branches of government. If this is not done as mandated, then this is an abdication of the Congress' power of the purse, making it a rubberstamp of the executive," the progressive lawmaker added.

What's in the President's budget?

A presentation briefly showed before the House committee showed that Duterte's office is requesting a total budget of P8,182,033,000.

Of the amount, over P6.4 billion was allocated for maintenance and other operating expenses, while some P1.1 billion was proposed for its personnel services, or for the payment of employees in the Office of the President.

Meanwhile, about P574.97 million was set aside for the office's capital outlays

It was earlier disclosed that some P4.5 billion in intelligence and confidential funds was Included in the proposed budget.

Appropriations committee chairman and ACT-CIS Party list Rep. Eric Go-Yap said he takes "full responsibility" of Friday's proceedings.

He said House members will be given the chance to interpellate on the OP's budget in their plenary debates, although legislators cannot anymore ask agency officials drectly.

"Wala po tayong itinatago...Lahat po ay magiging transparent (We are not hiding anything. Everything will be transparent)," said the administration solon.