A lawmaker expressed concern over a possible delay in the passage of the proposed 2020 national budget.
This is after Camarines Sur 2nd district representative Luis Raymund Villafuerte on August 28 recalled the filed General Appropriations Bill.
This came as a surprise to Davao 3rd district representative and House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Isidro Ungab.
Ungab said he had already written Villafuerte to inform him that Apo Production Unit and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) are already close to completing the printing of the GAB and that they are soon to start furnishing copies to the members of the House.
Congressman Ungab said amending the GAB will once again take too much time and resources and will delay the passage of the budget.
“If you change the GAB, you will be conducting another set of budget hearings so made-delay talaga. The general appropriations bill is a photocopy of the NEP it is the same budget,” Ungab insisted.
He added that changing the proposed budget that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted will also cause doubt among their fellow lawmakers.
Villafuerte, on the other hand, said the filing of the proposed bill is still premature as the budget briefing is still on-going.
He reiterated that based on House rules, budget briefing must be completed first before the GAB is filed.
Villafuerte added that this is only a procedural matter and that it will not affect the timeline in passing the national budget.
“Parang ang pangit tingnan na di pa nga tapos, ipa-file na. Parang masyado namang nagmamadali. Tinatanggalan na kami ng power to hear or make suggestions [It might not look good to file (the bill) when (the briefing) is not yet finished. It’s as if we are doing things in haste. We are now being denied of the power to hear or make suggestions],” Villafuerte said.
The House had earlier promised to pass the proposed 2020 national budget before the first session break on October 4. (from the report of Joan Nano) /mbmf
The post Recall of GAB may affect passage of proposed 2020 national budget – Rep. Ungab appeared first on UNTV News.