plagued this year's budget THE dispute the reason over "pork barrel,, was dent, according to the Supreme Court, . -1. the 2019 national budget rawmakers cannot intervene or partici_ bill was approved only in March,20i9, pate in the impletuentation of any proj_ when it should have been approved in ect listed in the budget. This is to avoid December, 2018. Because of the three_ the old practice of lawmakers getting month delay, the government had to huge commissions - 20 percent or even use a reenacted 2019 national budget, just so normal government operations more - from public works contractors chosen to carry out the proiects. could continue and government work_ In the delayed 2019 n;tional budget, could get paid. - ..ers some p75 billion had been appropiiaied But new projects could not be imple_ ror.projects in specific districts, placed mented. These included many infra_ in the bill by the congressmen of those structures under "Build, Build; Build,, distrlcts. \Sqnators sought to remove - roads and bridges, airports and sea_ these jtems,..claiming they were ,,pork ports, school buildings and other gov_ barrel." Finally, after three months of ernment structures. As government disagreement, the disputed budqet was spercrng accounts for a big part of approved and sent to president buterte rne. Gross_Domesti€ product (GDp), the for his signature. He simply vetoed the national GDp sank in those tirst three F76-billion projects. months of 2019. We can only hope that There is indeed need to avoid the rne. Department of public Works and .huge. allocations Highw-ays (DPWH) can make up tn the that some congress_ men in the past managed to include in resr of the year for those three months of inaction. the national budget but, surely, there are worthy projects that some con_ . Incoming Speaker Alan peter Cayetano hopes to avoid gressmen seek for their districts. It the 2019 House_senate coutd be just a matter of definition, of, conflict that cai.jsed the budget delay. clarification, between thd senators and The House and Senate, he said', must be congressmen, abie to clearly define what is.'Dork bar_ Incoming Speaker. Cayetano has rel" which the Supreme Court banned in rarsed the problem early in the hope, 2014 and agree on a national budqet on which..we all share, that this old ,,pbrk time, that is, before the start of 20-20. barrel" issue will not delay the national Once thc national budget is approved by Congress and signed by the presi_ budget - with all its unwanted conse_ quences - as it did last year.