Published August 14, 2019, 2:52 PM
By Charissa Luci-Atienza

Expecting the Malacañang’s submission of its proposed 2020 P4.1 trillion national budget on August 20, the House Committee on Appropriations is set to jumpstart its budget deliberations on August 22.

Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, chairman of the influential House Committee on Appropriations, said the House deliberations on the 2020 national budget will jumpstart on August 22, two days after its submission.

“The NEP (National Expenditure Program) will be submitted on August 20. August 21 is a holiday so on August 22, we will start our briefing/hearings,” he told the Manila Bulletin.

During yesterday’s House Committee on Ways and Means’ deliberation on the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act (CITIRA) Bill, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano disclosed that the proposed national budget for next year will be submitted on Tuesday next week.

“On Tuesday, we will be receiving the budget from the President through the DBM,” he told the panel, chaired by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda.

He said they cannot pass the budget without corresponding revenue-generating measures.

The House leadership is eyeing the third and final reading approval of the 2020 national budget before the 18th Congress takes its first respite on October 5.

House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez assured “very transparent” scrutiny of President Duterte’s proposed national appropriations for next year.

The 2020 national budget “will go through the normal and very transparent process of deliberations to fully discuss its merits and main objective to serve the people,” he said.

“We are going to scrutinize the national budget and do our jobs properly,” Romualdez said.

On Tuesday night, Romualdez called on his colleagues, specifically the 44-strong Visayan bloc to rally behind the timely and swift passage of the 2020 national budget.

“Because of a shorter time frame, approving the national budget is turning up to be a Herculean task for all of us. There’s plenty of work ahead, but with all your support, full cooperation and malasakit (compassion), we can guarantee the timely passage of the national budget,” he said during a dinner and get together with 50 House members on Tuesday night at the EDSA Shang-Rila Hotel.

He disclosed that budget briefings will be held to ensure the active participation of President Duterte’s economic managers, heads of various departments and line agencies ahead of the formal deliberations of their respective budgetary requirements for 2020.

“We will continue to hold budget briefings so that our colleagues will have enough time to raise their concerns and interact with the economic managers and department secretaries. We also appeal to our colleagues to avoid repetitive questions during formal budget deliberations,” Romualdez said.

Expecting that“social and economic services will get the biggest chunk of the national budget”, he said the Lower Chamber would ensure that the “effective utilization and honest spending of the national budget will result to real benefits of the people.”

Former Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez, outgoing president of the Visayan bloc, said they gathered “to show support for the President’s legislative agenda and make sure that our members are given equal opportunities in the committee assignments.”

“We welcome and acknowledge the commitment of Majority Leader Martin Romualdez to help all House members, including the Visayan bloc to address the members’ concerns in the national budget,” he said.

For his part, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, who recently joined the Lakas-CMD party, said, “We are here to verify and validate the committee chairmanship, vice chairmanship and the committee membership of the Visayan bloc members as requested.”

“Second, the Majority Leader appealed for the support and facilitate the early passage of the 2020 national budget and third to process the regular membership of the new members of the Visayan bloc, more or less 15 members,” he added.