House ratifies 2011 budget, Aquino may sign before year ends

(Updated 6:41 p.m.) The House of Representatives on Tuesday ratified the report of the bicameral conference committee on the reconciled version of the proposed P1.645-trillion national budget for 2011. The Senate ratified the budget bill on Tuesday. The ratified budget bill will now be submitted to Malacañang for President Benigno Aquino III's signature or veto. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad had earlier said that Aquino might sign the budget on or before December 27. If ever, it will be the first time that the government will pass the budget bill before the end of the year in almost a decade. 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. Congress OK of budget bill hit House minority leader Edcel Lagman, meanwhile, scored the Congress approval of what he called an “untouched" national budget for 2011. He said the Office of the President “interfered" with the budget process by not only proposing the national budget but also virtually appropriating “through a rubber-stamp majority in the Congress – both in this House and in the Senate." He noted that Congress reduced the President’s budget in previous years — by P400 million in 2010, P300 million in 2009, P300 million in 2008, and P200 million in 2007. “For 2011, to reiterate, not a single centavo was cut," Lagman said, adding that for next year, the Congress realigned only P2.306 billion, which was less than one percent of the total budget. He said in the previous years, the following realignments were made: P67.1 billion in 2010; P56.5 billion in 2009; P38.5 billion in 2008; and P20.5 billion in 2007. The realignments in the 2011 budget, he said, were “obviously errant and unwarranted." Missing copy During the start of Tuesday’s session, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño questioned the failure to give the members of the House a copy of the report. “We do not have a copy of the said committee report. Has a copy been provided to the members of the House? It is an important document, this is the budget," he said. Since Casiño was not a member of the bicameral conference committee, he was allowed to ask questions for Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, House appropriations committee chairman. - Amita O. Legaspi/KBK/HS, GMANews.TV