MONDAYAPRILs,2olg IA3

By Rio N. Araja He challenged Senate President Vi-

cente Sotto III to explain the budget
slash atd identify the senators who
//^1 AMARINES Sur Rep. Rolando iA,ndaya Jr. on' had pushed for the realignments and
I Sunday said 320,000 scholars ofthc Technical where the funds would go.
\-/ Education and Skills Development Authority, 'All he [Sotto] has to do is explain to
the public why the Senate slashed the
including drug dependents undergoing rehabilitation and budget not only of build, build, build
rebel retumees, stanF to lose their scholarship due to the projects. Now is also the tirne for'him
Senate's supposed unilateral action slashing TESDA s to reveal the names ofall senators who
made budget cuts and show fte items
P3-billion budget udder the proposed 2019 P3.757-trillion where these were realigned," he said.
national budget. "We wish to emphasize that the
details of thesp budget cuts were ngt
fully discussed in lhe bicameral con-
He lamented Senate's move bf taking under the program would lose their ference committee. The senators ui,ri- l

away Tesda's P3-billion budget. scholarship this year," he said. laterally decided on the budget cuts
{Thel P3-billion funds are intendedl The Camarines Sur lawmaker earlier and realigned them to orher items
for scholarship of rebel feturnees, out- accused the Senate of sabotaging ihe based on request of individual propo-
oflschool youths and rehabilitating drug programs of President Rodrigo Duterte, nents. Up to now the Scnate has yet to
dependents enrolled under tbe Univer- 'especially the Build, Build, Build pro- make public a detailed report on the
sal Access to Tertiary Education. As a gram for cuttiig down unilaterally P83 proponents who recommended the in-
result, at least 320,000 studenls enrolled billion ofthe national budget. dividual realignments," he added.

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