Speaker: Budget deliberations ‘on schedule’ despite quorum woes

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2012 will still be on schedule even though the lack of quorum once again caused delays in the debates on Friday. Only 73 of the 286 congressmen showed up on Friday for the plenary discussions on the budgets of the Department of Justice, Department of Energy, and other executive offices. However, Belmonte said he was confident that the P1.816-trillion budget will still be passed on time despite the delays. “We are virtually done with what we are ought to be doing… ‘Yung mga hindi na-tackle are simple things which would surely be tackled next week. We are very much on schedule," he said in an interview. The House Speaker however said his colleagues need to show up on the House floor next week, when the House leadership plans to pass the proposed 2012 budget on second reading. “My office will continue to call on everybody [to attend session]… Pagdating ng next week, it will be crucial. I think they will be here," he said. Last Tuesday, the start of plenary debates on the budget was also delayed after majority of lawmakers failed to show up for the morning session. Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya earlier said Congress plans to pass the General Appropriations Act of 2012, formally known as House Bill 5023, for President Benigno Aquino III’s approval on December 15 to prevent the government from working on a reenacted budget next year. - VVP, GMA News