MONDAY, SEPTIMBIR 2, 2019

P4.1-t budget bill withdrawn

By Rio N. Araja Ungab said House Bill No. 4228 was
withdrawn by Deputy $peaker for Fi-
THE Duterte administration's proposed nance Luis Villafuerte.
P4.l-trillion national budget for 2020 has Villafuert€ said the filing of the bill on
been withdrawn at the House of Repre- firyt reading on Aug. 28 was "prematwe"
sentatives, Appropriations Committee since all departmens and other agencies of
chairman and Davao City Rep. Isidro the government have pt to finish presenting
IJngatr said on.Sunday. Next Page

Pfi.L-t budget...
FromAl

their respective budget proposals at that

time.
"The bill's withdrawal was not an isr"
sue; it was just a procedural matter a3
the presentation of the budget propos-
'als of all government offices before the
House appropriations committee have
yet to be completed at the time of HB
No. 4228's filing on first reading," Vi[-
lafuerte said. \\a*

"In fact, the remaining offices that

have yet to present their 2020 budget
proposals are expected to finish doing
so by the end of this workweek Yet-
so how can the House appropriations
committee submit House Bill No. 4228
without having heard the presentations
of all government agencies covered by
the propos ed 2020 General Appropria-
tions Act?" he added
The Department of Budget artd Man-
agement formally submitted the Na-
tional Expetiditure Program 2020 to the
House of Representatives on Aug. 20,
while budget hearings at the appropria
tions comrnittee level began on Aug.
22.
"There is,no need for us to short-
circuit the legislative process on the
excwe that the llo-use should pass the
GAB soon enough'to avoid a repeat of
the 20tr9 budget delay,?' villafuerte said'
The House intends to'have the 2020
budget bill approved on third r,eadrng
by Oct. { before Congress goes on re-
CCSS.

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