Senate ratifies 2011 budget; House to follow suit Tuesday

(Updated 6:59 p.m.) The Senate on Monday ratified the bicameral version of the P1.645-trillion national budget for 2011, with the House of Representatives expected to do the same on Tuesday. In his sponsorship speech, Senate finance committee chairman Franklin Drilon said the bicameral report includes an increase of:

P110 million in the maintenance and operating expenses of 80 state universities and colleges (SUC);

P8 million in the budget of the Office of the Vice President;

P200 million in the subsidy of local government units;

P590 million in the budget of the House of Representatives; and

P345 million in the budget of the Senate Drilon said allocations for the two houses of Congress were increased to bring its 2011 budget at 95 percent of the 2010 budget. He said they reduced the budgets of 30 SUCs whose allocations were earlier increased to bring the appropriation for 80 other SUCs to their 2010 level. Also reduced were the budgets of the Department of Health's Office of the Secretary (by P200 million), Department of Interior and Local Government - Philippine National Police (by P60 million), Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits (by 993 million), and Priority Development Assistance Fund (by P200 million). On the other hand, Drilon said they realigned the lump sum of P750 million for basic education facilities to the creation of 5,000 new teaching positions and the capital outlay of P70 million for the Quick Response Fund to the insurance premiums for school buildings in calamity-prone areas. Sympathetic to PNoy Drilon said the bicameral conference committee, composed of senators and congressmen, had been sympathetic to the Aquino government when they were discussing the proposed national budget for 2011. “Next year, depending on how they execute the budget, the Congress can again be sympathetic or less sympathetic. But this year we support the President’s budget," Drilon said. The bicameral conference committee had earlier formed a small committee that worked to reconcile the approved versions of the budget bill of the House and the Senate. At the House of Representatives, Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, chairman of the House appropriations committee, met with the members of the majority bloc and with the members of the bicameral contingent earlier in the day to report the decision of the small committee. After the discussions, the House contingent signed the bicameral conference report that will be presented to the plenary on Tuesday. The House is expected to ratify the budget bill on the same day. “The House, due to pending bills and likewise scheduling, we are scheduled to ratify it tomorrow (but) we (House contingent) will be signing the report now," Abaya said. No reenacted budget? Both Drilon and Abaya are confident that President Benigno Aquino III will be able to sign the General Appropriations Act by December 27. If ever, it will be the first time in many years that the country will have an approved budget before the year ends. “Budget Secretary Florencio Abad initially mentioned December 27," Abaya said. “We tried it before Christmas pero hindi kakayanin (but it’s impossible) because they (executive branch) have to review what we’ve done." During the Arroyo administration, the country for several years operated under a reenacted budget either for a short period or an entire year due to Congress’ failure to ratify the budget bill or Arroyo’s failure to sign the ratified bill before the end of the year. Prof. Leonor Magtolis-Briones of Social Watch Philippines (SWP) had earlier warned that a reenacted budget gives the president the discretion to disburse the entire budget and defies the Congress’ power of the purse. Drilon, a member of Aquino’s Liberal Party, said he is “confident" that the executive branch would do its part in steering the country from another reenacted budget. “Hopefully … I’m confident that they will be able to deliver on the basis of the budget that they have presented and we have approved," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV