President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he might veto the P3.757 Trillion national budget for this year.
The Chief Executive made the statement at the PDP-LABAN campaign rally in Bacolod City, Thursday night (April 10), as he explained the importance of having allies in Congress for the administration to easily implement its programs and projects.
Duterte added that his legal team in Malacañang is ready to receive the proposed budget and once he finds out that it could just bring problems to the country, he will be left with no choice but to veto it.
The 2019 General Appropriations Act had been pending in Congress due to controversies surrounding it, such as the alleged insertions in the budget that will benefit several lawmakers.
This has prompted the government to operate on a reenacted budget since January this year.
“Kay hindi magkasundo ang Congress pati Senado eh. And ‘yung mga insertions diyan titingnan ko. Pagka tagilid talaga, I will — I will not to hesitate… I will not hesitate to veto the entire budget [since the House and the Senate are opposing each other. And I have to look into the insertions made. If it turns out to be problematic, I will not hesitate to veto the entire budget].”
The President’s economic managers had earlier said operating on a reenacted budget puts the country’s economy and the government’s infrastructure programs and projects in jeopardy.
The Palace, however, gave the assurance that contingency plans are in place in case the country will run on reenacted budget in the entire year.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said, “as to the possible repercussion on the economy of a re-enacted budget, our economic managers have contingency plans prepared, responsive to any conceivable event, and they will correspondingly adjust their targets, which include the execution of programs and projects relating to infrastructure as well as the delivery of basic services to the people.”
The President has until April 25 to either approve or veto the proposed bill before it lapses into law on April 26, even without his signature. – Maris Federez (with reports from Rosalie Coz)
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