House Approves P2.6-T National Budget for 2015

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on final reading the P2.606-trillion proposed national budget for 2015, despite vehement opposition from some members of the House minority and independent minority blocs.

The house voted 198-18.

The approval of the budget was marred by objection when Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares raised questions about the errata submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) prior to the voting. He inquired about the P423 billion supposedly meant for the Allocation for Local Government Units (ALGU). Colmenares claimed this was not in the general appropriations bill approved by the House on second reading.

Report said Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II clarified that the P423 billion includes the LGUs’ internal revenue allotments, which are automatically appropriated.

Gonzales said he thinks there is a misunderstanding on what is being referred as errata. There are no errata insofar as the IRA is concerned, he said. Gonzales also maintained that the amendments to the budget accepted by the small panel tasked to tackle them only amounted to P4.7 billion, not P450 billion as earlier claimed by Bayan Muna.

Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz asked for the opportunity to explain his “No” vote, but he was overruled by Deputy Speaker Carlos Padilla, who proceeded to continue with the voting. He was eventually allowed to speak after all the votes have been cast, report said.

Those who voted to oppose the budget include six other members of the Makabayan bloc, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza and Navotas City Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco.

The amendments accepted for inclusion to the general appropriations bill (GAB) were the reallocation of funds to the following projects:

P3.28 billion for the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 2015
P998.8 million for the Bureau of Customs (BOC)
P296.9 million for the Department of Tourism
P93.7 million for the Department of Trade and Industry
P34 million for the Commission on Human Rights
P3 million for the Commission on Elections
P53.5 million for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
P5 million for the Partido State University
P1.79 million for the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Program (GPBP)

After third reading, the GAB will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration in a similar way it was discussed by the House. Representatives from both chambers of Congress will convene as a bicameral conference committee to iron out and reconcile differing provisions in their respective versions of the bill.

After the bicameral committee report is ratified by each chamber, all of the amendments will be incorporated into the enrolled copy of the GAB. The enrolled copy of the GAB will then be forwarded to President Benigno Aquino III for signing. The President has the option to veto the budget.

Aquino is expected to sign the budget into law before the end of 2014, report said.

Biggest Appropriation

The Department of Education received P364.9 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways with P300.5 billion and the Department of National Defense with P144 billion.

Report said that as per sectoral allocation, social services continue to take the lion’s share of the proposed 2015 budget, with social protection and welfare services accounting for 37.1 percent or P967.9 billion of the proposed national spending plan. It will be spent on the Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Health Insurance and Education, report said.

The rest of the departments and their respective allocations are as follows:

Department of Interior and Local Government – P141.4 billion;
Department of Social Welfare and Development – P108.970 billion;
Department of Health – P102.2 billion;
Department of Agriculture – P88.8 billion;
Department of Transportation and Communication – P59.4 billion;
Department of Environment and National Resources – P21.29 billion; and
the judiciary – P20 billion.

Source: GMA News Online