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Business Insight I llnrrs Thursday, nfrir *, z.re

Andaya to senators: Public will
know who made realignments
BY WEI{DEE VIGILIA

THE chaL of the House commit

tee oo appropriations yesterday
pressed senatots to identift who
among them made post-ratifr-
cation rcalignments in the 2019
budget.
fup. Rolando Andaya ]r (PDP-
Laban. Carnarines Sutl-aid sena-
tors vi\ be forced to make pub\c
theit rcspective realignments otrce
President Duterte signs the P3.757
ttillion proposed national bgdget
for 2019 because it viill include a
nev book that contains the list of
itemized allocation fot progtams
and projects under rie 2019 Gen-
eral Appropriadons Bill (GABi.
President Duterte is .", ,., i-
the 2019 nadonal buae", o" Ao?i
15.

_ "The public reJease of the new

budgerlarv will leave our esteemed
senarors no choice bur to ideod$,
rheir individual realignments which found print io rhe 2019 G *,"-f"...i'}tg Uy the House of R.Pr"*n-ru.i.r., during the iniLial stage
he said in a ,t"t..n.-nt. of the bicameral meerings and accepred by rhe Senate contingenr.
Andaya said Congress included a fourth book in the 2019 GAB this is.line with the Supteme Court decision io
"in the interest of &u"rp^."""y urrJ
-- ---- 2013
^j:d1y.a.said
which specifically insttucted lawmakers to adopt a detailed
The new book, whicli is pari of the buag.l ,"lor*, initiared tiLe,:,i-tem budgeting !91 th9 full appreciation of the President.
"l.oorri"UiU.u.;;-
bythecurrentHouseleadirship,""","i"."rt"ri.,"ii;;;;;;,"Y.^gteewiththeHighcouttkdecisionasline-itembudgeting
--
pr;j;r;;e"r;. clearly spells out the sPe,cific pioiects.to be given allocation and
ailocation for programs ,6it ilB
""d irr.'c"""t"iir"t"itt*'"". where- these projects shall be located"' he said'
"This is the fitJ tir". ttt^t 4"..
once signed into law by the president, i" Andaya said line-item budgeting is the House' resPonse to
-"i'" d J];;;
umes oibudget books.the House lea;.rrhi;;r;;;Jlor'f.
loi' ,
the.peoplet demand for transpalency aod-accountability in the
itemization o"f the budget fo, .peci6f pt"gii"r, national budget, stressing that "lump-sum funds are more prone
-Jpi";..,rll
compliance with the htlst Suprime Coi..'ia.lt.ior1'" ,rr" oorr. a.*ttlpd-.n and violate many tenets of tmnsparent expenditute
baril issue," Andaya explainld. of public funds-"
Once the President s^igns the 2019 General Appropria,iorr, ,.H" t3id i *."s the teasoo that the Supteme Coutt had declared
Act, he said the fourth bridget b""f. 1,7irtt it"-irJ'"itfi;;; discretionaty lump sum funds unconstitutional
f;;
-"-The administtatiotr lawmaket quoted former Justice Antonio
plograms and ptojects wil Be o", i" ,f,. op"".
' "6nly by doing so can the public ^ who said in his concurring opinion that ''Congress has
be ,',.1j. fuUu *h"L
rh" p.iptogrami and pro jeirs ^*^..
,1. r."ur".iii.v;J;;;; ".. 9"tPio
the constiturional dury to presenr to the President a Genetzl
of6ie," And"aya said. ' "r Appropriations Act (GAA) containing irems. insread of lump-
Aniaya ha'd earlier accused the Senate of making realiqn- sums, stlting in detail the specific prrtpose fot each amount of
ments in the budget by increasing by pg:.9 UilLr;th. i;riXs Xeniop"i"tio"; Ptecisely to enable the Ptesident to exercise his
for thei pet pro!ra-'. u"a pt";&tJ line-item
;;;". J;;;;;;.; power is negarid_by otherwise, the President's
veto power. line-item veto
ug.rr'.i",i "J", Congress in violation of the Constiturion."
^nd
It w"as his teply to the Senate,s allegatioo rhat congressmen The Supreme Court also mainains that "It is crucial that each
made post-radhcation realignments riot,rt *"i",rr"tipso l1i- nercentage ot value must be allocated fot its own corresponding
- "-^
lion. purpose fot such component to be coqsidered as a proper line-item."
He said recotds of the bicameral deliberations on the nationut ^ "The- line-item budgetirg-approach is adopted il _the_2019
budqet wourd show that tr," r.",tr, u".r p,i
''", "-.".a,i"" :#;T"l.tr"i"':ri::Tfjti*"T"llHi'Jrffi::1:i,1,,"r*::i:
but it is in full compliance with the lavzs of the land and io Lighr
of the Supreme Coutt decision," said Andaya. gaaC At