MALACAÑANG called on Congress on Tuesday, March 5, to address the supposed "manipulations" of the ratified bicameral report on the proposed P3.757 trillion national budget for 2019.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the call following Senator Panfilo Lacson's claim that the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, manipulated the proposed 2019 budget by inserting a package of multibillion-peso pork barrel allocations.
"Ang hindi ko maintindihan is kung nagkaroon na sila ng bicameral committee, paano mapapakialaman ng House exactly? So in other words, sila rin 'yun. Problema nila 'yun (What I cannot understand is if the bicameral committee already ratified it, how did the House manipulated it?)," the Palace official said in a Palace briefing.
"They have to solve their problem internally, not us kasi maghihintay lang kami kung ano ang sinubmit niyo sa amin, 'yun ang titignan namin (because we are just waiting what they'll submit, and that's what we'll take into consideration)," he added.
Citing information from some congressmen, Lacson said the House leadership manipulated the bicameral report prior to the printing and enrollment of the budget measure.
Lacson stressed that Arroyo has "no business or legal authority to prepare and impose the menu list of the Department of Health appropriations for Health Facilities Enhancement Program worth P25 million in individual allocations for her favored congressmen, including a P2.5-million allocation for the purchase of an ambulance."
The senator also noted that some P8 million are being distributed "to those who did not support her election as Speaker."
Lacson said exercising "latest, brazen illegal act" after the ratification of the bicameral committee report on the proposed 2019 budget "smacks of grave abuse of discretion on the part of Speaker Arroyo, not to mention a clear violation of the 1987 Constitution."
The National Government has been operating on a reenacted budget because of Congress's failure to transmit the ratified bicameral report on the proposed 2019 national budget.
Panelo prodded some lawmakers to bring the issue to the Supreme Court, if they see any irregularities in the reported manipulation of the 2019 general appropriations bill.
"Kung may problema sila doon (If they have a problem with that), one or two or three of them or most of them should do something about it. They can go to the Supreme Court to stop it. Bakit hindi nila ginagawa (Why are not they doing that)?" he said.
As for the President, he can veto certain provisions of the proposed 2019 budget he thinks are unacceptable, Panelo noted.
The Palace official guaranteed that Duterte would look into the issue.
"What's important I think is the President will have to evaluate, will consider the issues raised against certain realignments. And then it will be his call whether to approve it or veto certain provisions," Panelo said. (SunStar Philippines)