THE House of Representatives yesterday began plenary deliberations on President Marcos Jr.’s proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for 2023, with the majority bloc defending funding cuts on social services programs.
The House aims to approve the general appropriations bill (GAB) on third and final reading between September 28 and September 30 before it goes on a month-long recess.
Budget sponsor Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, a senior vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, said the budget for social services had to be reduced because the country has a very small fiscal space, pointing out that the 2023 national expenditure program (NEP) is only P244 billion more than this year’s national budget.
“We have unlimited needs but unfortunately, limited funds,” Quimbo told the floor, adding the government is facing a huge challenge because of poverty and unemployment on top of the loans for COVID-19 response and debt servicing.
Among the slashed items being questioned by members of the minority led by the Makabayan bloc and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman are the P19.8 billion funding for protective services for individuals and families in especially difficult circumstances, which was just a mere half of this year’s amount; the P25.8 billion budget for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD, which is lower than this year’s P36.9 billion; and the P316 million adjustment measures program, which is lower than this year’s P491 million.
Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, a member of the Makabayan bloc, pointed out that while social services programs suffered reductions, the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President were respectively allocated P2.5 billion and P500 million in confidential funds.
She also noted that the Department of National Defense (DND) has a proposed P310-billion budget, including P45 billion for the modernization of AFP; while the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has an allocation of P10 billion for 2023.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, also of Makabayan, said such allocations show the priorities “which the administration is trying to hide.”
Hataman, a member of the Liberal Party (LP), asked why the TUPAD budget was slashed in favor of other items that are not related to “economic recovery.”
In response, Quimbo said the budget for intelligence and the military’s modernization has everything to do with economic recovery, adding that foreign investors only come in with national security.
“Investors need predictability. They won’t invest in a place na walang predictability (that there’s no predictability), and a big part of that predictability is national security,” Quimbo said.
‘SEIZED’ POWER OF THE PURSE?
For his part, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, an opposition lawmaker, urged Congress to “reclaim” its power of the purse from the Executive, complaining that the Legislative has always deferred to the President when it comes to the annual national budget almost without major changes to the original proposals.
He said the Executive’s alleged “seizure” of the congressional power of the purse began under the Arroyo presidency and continues until now under the new Marcos administration.
“Congress must regain its supremacy in the appropriation of public funds. It must stop the hemorrhaging of the legislative power of the purse which has been mercilessly bludgeoned by Malacañang with the complicity and tolerance of legislative leaders and both chambers’ majority coalitions,” he said.
Lagman asked Quimbo if she is “cognizant” of such a trend of annexing the congressional power of the purse and the power to disburse “as if the President’s National Expenditure Program is cast in stone” to which she conceded, “It may be a trend.”
On Monday, Quimbo insisted that the tradition of extending parliamentary courtesy to the offices of the country’s two highest officials must be respected by Congress, adding that the budget proposals will still be discussed in the plenary.
Quimbo told the plenary that while she agrees that Congress wields the power of the purse, there are also legislative principles “in delegating appropriate functions to the President.”
She said the “completeness test” dictates that it should be clear which powers are delegated to the Executive “and it is clear that the budget execution (such as the crafting of the annual NEP) is delegated (to the Executive).”
In terms of the “sufficiency of standards test,” the economist-lawmaker said that “it should be clear that there are limits or boundaries in delegating powers.”
“And this is the reason why the executive has introduced certain mechanisms to make sure that the sufficiency of standards test is met. So, for example, on the allegation of impounding (of funds), the Executive has made it clear that they don’t necessarily, they don’t impound. All they need is a (certain) level of detail (s) in terms of supporting documents,” she said.
Lagman however said the House has “never delegated to the President our constitutional power of the purse, and we have never allowed and will never allow the President to impound congressional initiatives.”
MMDA ‘SACRIFICES’
An official of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday said they may have to “sacrifice” some of their projects after their proposed budget for 2023 was reduced by P1.3 billion, from its current funding of P5.67 billion.
MMDA Special Operations Task Force chief Edison “Bong” Nebrija said their office had originally asked for an P8.4 billion budget for next year.
Nebrija said acting chairman Carlo Dimayuga will meet with MMDA officials and directors to discuss what projects can be temporarily put in the backburner to address the budget cut.
“As of this moment, inuupuan na po ng ni chairman at mga directors ng ating ahensiya at sinasala kung ano anong proyekto ang puwedeng isakripisyo para patuloy nating mapaglingkuran ang mga mamamayan ng Metro Manila (As of this moment, the chairman is meeting with directors of the agency to talk about the projects that might be possibly sacrificed so that we can still continue to serve the residents of Metro Manila),” Nebrija said in Tuesday’s Laging Handa public briefing.
On Tuesday, MMDA Director Michael Gison told the House Appropriations Committee that no allocation was given for the agency’s health, sanitation, urban migration and urban renewal projects in the 2023 budget.
For her part, MMDA Traffic Discipline Office chief Neomie Recio said traffic management might be affected since street lighting and funding for more footbridges are also affected by the budget slash.
The lion’s share of the MMDA’s budget amounting to P2.5 billion was set aside for solid waste management, followed by P1.42 billion for flood control programs, and P366 million for traffic management. — With Ashzel Hachero
