House to resume budget session Tuesday

August 27, 2018

The House committee on appropriations will resume the budget hearings Tuesday afternoon with the presentations of the departments of Trade and Industry (DTI) and on Education (DepEd) following the three-week budget deadlock.

Congress resumes session Tuesday after a 12-day recess.

On August 29, the Offices of the President and the Vice President, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of National Defense (DND) will present their budget briefings under the 2019 proposed P3.757-trillion national budget.

Earlier, House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando  Andaya Jr. said the “budget impasse” was partially resolved and Congress may adopt a hybrid budgeting system following a recent meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Malacanang.

The cash-based budgeting system limits appropriations, bidding, completion of projects and payments within a single year and the first three months of the following year.

In the case of present obligation-based budgeting, the government can  spread out the appropriations across two years or more that would enable the project’s completion

Andaya said they agreed that budgetary cuts would be restored and allow the validity of some payments to one year plus six months or the first half of 2019. DMS