Congress ratifies P1.5-trillion budget

The Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the proposed P1.540 trillion national budget on Friday afternoon, just before Congress went into holiday break. The House ratified the budget without much opposition at 5:40 p.m., while the Senate ratified it a few minutes later. Only three senators voted against its approval: Panfilo Lacson, Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, and Manuel "Mar" Roxas II. Contingents from the two chambers reconciled differing provisions in their own versions of the proposed budget last Wednesday. [See: Bicam OKs proposed 2010 budget ‘in principle’] Senate finance committee chairman Edgardo Angara, who presented the committee report to the plenary, said the bicameral conference committee adopted the Senate approved budget level which is 400 million lower than the President's proposed budget of P1.541 trillion. The P400 million cut to the ratified 2010 budget represents Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations that have been waived by senators including Lacson and Ma. Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal. Angara said the 2010 budget approved by the Congress was designed to pursue a green and sustainable growth. "This entails capitalizing on our rich renewable energy resources and enriching our human resources, thereby creating green jobs and income opportunities," Angara said. The two chambers agreed to increase the budgets for:

• education including allocations for the Department of Education, state colleges and universities and Commission on Higher Education to P185.477 billion;
• infrastructure to P126.931 billion;
• pension and gratuity fund, to P79.964 billion;
• land reform, to P20.768 billion;
• health, to P30.404 billion;
• transportation and communication, to P16.612 billion; and
• social welfare and development, to P15.314 billion.

They also agreed to reduce the debt service by P64 billion, from P340.812 billion to P276.212 billion. "The deduction went mostly to infrastructure projects, maybe some went to education, some went to clean-up programs of Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Metro Manila because they have been ordered by the Supreme Court to clean Manila Bay and part of Pasig river," the senator said. "The cuts, we put them where funding ought to be augmented or provided," he explained. In an interview with reporters, Angara admitted that President Arroyo may veto "the act of cutting from debt service but the appropriation, the spending authority remains. So it's worthwhile to keep it there because in case of extra funding or extra revenue or extra money coming borrowings, then you can fund it." Angara said the bicameral committee included a provision requiring an audit by a special team based in Manila, as proposed by the Senate. The provision states that any amount that has not been audited for disallowed by the special team shall be deducted from the subsequent releases, the senator said. The bicameral-approved budget also included in the general provision the requirement for approval of Congress in government indebtedness and guaranty if it will exceed 55 percent of the gross domestic product. Other amendments to the budget approved by the joint conference committee were:

• upgrading of equipment of government-owned station PTV 4, P100 million;
• Bataan freeport, P100 million;
• Climate Change Commission, P100 million;
• purchase of rubber boats under the Department of Transportation and Communications, P200 million;
• Department if Agrarian Reform, P1 billion;
• under the Department of Public Works and Highways *Dinadiawan-Madela, Aurora national road, P470 million *Pantabangan bridge and concreting, P502 million *Los Banos Interchange, P500 million *purchase/acquisition of equipment for disaster preparedness, P2.5 billion.

The Senate approved its version of the budget last December 14, almost a month after the House passed its version. [See: Senate OKs 2010 nat'l budget on 3rd reading] After the ratification, a copy of the proposed budget will be sent to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for her to sign or veto the provisions. The budget bill will lapse into law if Mrs. Arroyo fails to act on it 30 days after her office receives it. In a separate interview, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed confidence that President Arroyo will immediately sign the budget. "Ang balita pagbalik nya galing (The news is, when she returns from) Copenhagen this weekend, so maybe next week she will be signing it into law. Before the holiday season. Parang Christmas gift nya sa bayan (It would be like her Christmas gift to the nation)," the senator said. President Arroyo is currently in Copenhagen for the United Nations climate change conference there. – JV, GMANews.TV