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Diokno confident Congress will pass 2019 budget before recess

By Kris Crismundo

January 16, 2019, 3:06 pm

MANILA -- Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno is confident that the proposed 2019 national budget will be passed by Congress before it goes into recess next month.

Diokno said in a briefing Wednesday that Congress is likely to pass the 2019 budget ahead of the adjournment of session on February 9, as politicians will then be busy campaigning for the midterm election.

“This reenacted budget will not be extended. Because there’s an election. And they will, I think, they will go on a recess by February... They have to hit the road ahead of their campaign by middle of February,” Diokno said.

“Because if they don’t pass the budget, we’ll call them to a special session again and again and again. So, that will take time away from their campaign. So they must be thinking of let’s get this done,” he added.

Diokno said the lawmakers are obliged to hold a special session to pass the 2019 national budget if they fail to approve it before their break.

The DBM chief is hoping that Congress can pass the national allocation as early as the end of January, so it can reach President Rodrigo Duterte’s table by first week of February.

Commenting on the Senate’s removal of the alleged “inserted” PHP75 billion in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget, Diokno said this will slow down the government’s commitment on infrastructure projects, therefore holding back efforts to create employment and reduce poverty.

“I hope the senators will realize that when you take away PHP75 billion of infrastructure, that reduces our commitment by about half percentage point, roughly. That has an impact on employment, on poverty, because if you don’t get jobs of course you will be one of those poor,” said Diokno.

“And it will delay a little bit our commitment to make up for the past neglect of the past administration. I hope they know the short-term and long-term consequences,” he added. (PNA)

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