Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) — The Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives on Friday terminated the briefing for the proposed ₱8.2-billion budget of President Rodrigo Duterte’s office for 2022.
₱4.5 billion of the Office of the President’s budget request is for intelligence and confidential funds.
Doing away with the OP’s budget presentation is a tradition in the appropriations committee. The House panel does the same thing with other co-equal branches of government.
A few minutes into the hearing, Pangasinan 6th District Rep. Tyrone Agabas moved to terminate the budget briefing, citing “the long-established tradition of extending parliamentary courtesy to co-equal branches of the government such as the Office of the President.”
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy seconded the motion, but Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago objected.
Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Dalipe, panel vice chairman, denied Elago’s objection, saying it “cannot be counted considering she is not a member of the Committee on Appropriations.” But Dalipe allowed some of his colleagues to make a manifestation.
“This is the last budget of the OP under the Duterte administration and there are a number of pressing issues that need to be brought up before the Office of the President at this budget briefing,” Elago said.
One of the issues that ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro was hoping to raise was OP’s proposed budget for intelligence funds.
“Hindi naman ito opisina ng military o opisina ng PNP para maglaan ng ganyang budget para sa Office of the President,” she said.
[Translation: It is not an office of the military or the Philippine National Police to be given such a budget.]
Duterte’s office got the same amount this year. He vetoed the 2021 budget law provision requiring the submission of reports to Congress on how these hefty funds would be spent, citing the need to “protect national security.”
Dalipe assured Castro and other House members that they will be allowed to raise their concerns during plenary debates.
“Huwag kayo mag-alala. Dadaan pa tayo sa plenaryo,” he said.
[Translation: You don’t have to worry. We will still go through plenary.]
