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President will end lengthy budget impasse - solon
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ouse Minority Leader, actment of this budget to address
Quezon 3rd district Rep.
Danilo Suarez expects
President Duterte to fi-
ally put his foot down in orderto end
re lengthy impasse on the proposed
3.?5?-trillion national btdg;t be-
treen the House and the Senate.
'At the end of the day mapipilitan
a siyang (Duterte) mag-aksyon dito
ahil hindi pwedeng ganito na katagal
lngimpasse (He will be forcedto act
gssx5s the impasse can't last this
Ing)," Suarez said in the Minority
loc's weekly press conference at the
ouse of Represextatives.
The two chambers ofCongress have
)en buttihg heads over the delayed
lactment of the 20lg General Appro-
iations Bill (cAB) despite themjoinfly
Ltifying it last February B.
"The Minority reiterates the
importance of the approval and en-
the current needs of the people. We
repeat our call for its immediate
passage. We urge our fellow lawmak-
ers to look at the bigger picture and
ccinsider the long-term effects of this
re-enacted budget," Suarez said, add-
ing that the delivery of serviees in
the sectors of public education and
health have been suffering as a result
of the stalemate.
The Senate, specifically Senate
President Vicente Sotto III and Sena-
tor Pdnfilo Lacson, are opposing the
amendments' hat House members
did to the cAB after it was ratified,
calling the move unconstitutional.
But congressmen have shown
that all they did post-ratification was
to il,emize the lump-sum realign-
ments in thE budget. something that
National News Thursday, March 21 , 2019
is required ofthem by the November tlfe President to tell them, 'Submit applied on the bill wholesale.
2013 Supreme Court (SC) decision. the budget and I will exercise by "Sa tingin ko sa lalong hadaling
that declared pork barrel or discre- power to veto if I find something un- panahon (I think, in the soonest time
tionary funds illegal. constitutional there)." said Garbin, possible), the President will call lon
Leaders from both chambers took who is a Senior Deputy Minority the House and Senate leadershipl,
part in a meeting in Malacaiang Leader. and make a strong pronouncement,,'
earlier this month for the purpose The GAB is unique in that indi- Garbin said.
of ending the budget row. In the end, vidual lines of the proposed law can The Philippine government hasl
Presidenl Duterte basically told be vetoed by the President; with been running on a reenacted 2018
them l.o work out their differences other pieces oflegislation, the veto is budEet since Januarv
togetlpr.
"Siguro inasahan niya na tt
magkakaroon ng meeting of tr\qt -""
the minds (I thinkhe expect-
ed a meeting of the minds to
occur)," Suarez said.
With such scinario look-
ing improbable, AKO-Bicol
Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garb-
, in Jr. said that all hopes on
the GAB's passage is pinned
on the President.
I "Tingin ko ang pag-asa
dyan pag sinabihan sila
ng Presidente,'I-submit
niyo, ako i-exercise ko yung
power ko to Veto kapag mdy-
rolts unconstitutional dvan'
{f-iffnli ttt" only hope is'for
I