House panel OKs proposed budgets of OP, OVP
JOHANNA CAMILLE SISANTE, GMANews.TV
09/14/2009 | 10:51 AM
With no questions asked, the Appropriations committee of the House of Representatives approved on Monday morning the proposed P4.259-billion budget of the Office of the President.
The committee approved the proposed allocation in around five minutes, dispensing with the presentation of the budget breakdown and deliberations even though Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was present. The proposed P185-million budget of the Office of the Vice President was also approved.
"The budget presentation of the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President were dispensed because as a matter of tradition, we extend courtesy to these high offices and that's the reason the process was that fast," said Appropriations committee chair Junie Cua.
The swift approval of the OP budget came amid criticism of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's numerous foreign trips, the most controversial being her meeting with US President Barack Obama that was followed by at least two lavish dinners with her entourage at Le Cirque restaurant in New York and Bobby Van's Steakhouse in Washington, DC.
But Cua assured that the presidential budget would still be scrutinized at the subcommittee level and in the plenary. "Hindi naman mawawala yung opportunity para mahimay nang husto [yung budget] (The opportunity to scrutinize the budget is not lost)."
On Friday last week, a Senate finance subcommittee chaired by administration Senator Joker Arroyo also approved the OP, Office of the Press Secretary, and the Judiciary budgets without deliberations. [See: Senate subcommittee OKs budgets of the ‘untouchables’]
Bad 'tradition'
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino, who arrived a few minutes late at the hearing, was surprised at the fast approval of the OP budget. He said the allocation for the OP should have been thoroughly scrutinized even at the committee level.
Casino said dispensing with deliberations on the OP budget was not a good tradition, especially considering the controversies hounding the Arroyo administration's utilization of its funds.
"Sa tingin namin hindi magandang tradisyon itong pinapalampas na hindi man lang pinagpiprisenta ang OP ng kanilang budget sa committee on Appropriations. Siyempre, ito ay bubusisiin natin sa plenaryo pero maganda sana kung dito pa lang sa antas ng committee ay nabusisi na ang budget,' Casino said.
(In our view, it's not a good tradition to let the OP not present its budget to the committee on Appropriations. Of course we will scrutinize this in plenary, but it's better if we do it right here in the committee level.)
"We would've wanted to ask paano yung pamasahe at accommodations ng mga congressmen na sumama [sa US trip] (We would've wanted to ask how the airfare and accommodations of the congressmen who went on the US trip were paid for)," he added. [See: A mystery in the House: Who paid for members' US trip?]
The proposed 2010 budget for the OP is a 1-percent increase from 2009's P4.218-billion allocation. P1.689 billion has been allotted for the OP proper, while P2.570 billion was proposed for locally funded projects. The proposed P185-million budget for the OVP, meanwhile, also increased compared to 2009's P180.45-million budget. - GMANews.TV
The committee approved the proposed allocation in around five minutes, dispensing with the presentation of the budget breakdown and deliberations even though Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was present. The proposed P185-million budget of the Office of the Vice President was also approved.
"The budget presentation of the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President were dispensed because as a matter of tradition, we extend courtesy to these high offices and that's the reason the process was that fast," said Appropriations committee chair Junie Cua.
The swift approval of the OP budget came amid criticism of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's numerous foreign trips, the most controversial being her meeting with US President Barack Obama that was followed by at least two lavish dinners with her entourage at Le Cirque restaurant in New York and Bobby Van's Steakhouse in Washington, DC.
But Cua assured that the presidential budget would still be scrutinized at the subcommittee level and in the plenary. "Hindi naman mawawala yung opportunity para mahimay nang husto [yung budget] (The opportunity to scrutinize the budget is not lost)."
On Friday last week, a Senate finance subcommittee chaired by administration Senator Joker Arroyo also approved the OP, Office of the Press Secretary, and the Judiciary budgets without deliberations. [See: Senate subcommittee OKs budgets of the ‘untouchables’]
Bad 'tradition'
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino, who arrived a few minutes late at the hearing, was surprised at the fast approval of the OP budget. He said the allocation for the OP should have been thoroughly scrutinized even at the committee level.
Casino said dispensing with deliberations on the OP budget was not a good tradition, especially considering the controversies hounding the Arroyo administration's utilization of its funds.
"Sa tingin namin hindi magandang tradisyon itong pinapalampas na hindi man lang pinagpiprisenta ang OP ng kanilang budget sa committee on Appropriations. Siyempre, ito ay bubusisiin natin sa plenaryo pero maganda sana kung dito pa lang sa antas ng committee ay nabusisi na ang budget,' Casino said.
(In our view, it's not a good tradition to let the OP not present its budget to the committee on Appropriations. Of course we will scrutinize this in plenary, but it's better if we do it right here in the committee level.)
"We would've wanted to ask paano yung pamasahe at accommodations ng mga congressmen na sumama [sa US trip] (We would've wanted to ask how the airfare and accommodations of the congressmen who went on the US trip were paid for)," he added. [See: A mystery in the House: Who paid for members' US trip?]
The proposed 2010 budget for the OP is a 1-percent increase from 2009's P4.218-billion allocation. P1.689 billion has been allotted for the OP proper, while P2.570 billion was proposed for locally funded projects. The proposed P185-million budget for the OVP, meanwhile, also increased compared to 2009's P180.45-million budget. - GMANews.TV
