‘Reenacted budget only for 30 days’

The government will have to run under a budget similar to this year’s at least for the month of January because of delays in the passage of the 2006 national budget, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. disclosed yesterday.

The delays were largely caused by the opposition’s failed impeachment bid against President Arroyo, which took about three months to resolve, they said in a joint statement.

The delays were compounded by a decision of the House of Representatives to expand the membership of the House committee on appropriations, chaired by Andaya, to 180 congressmen.

Committee hearings on the budget took longer because many of the lawmakers raised questions.

"We have exerted our utmost efforts to deliberate on the proposed budget under extremely difficult circumstances," their statement said.

The House will continue to hold budget hearings before the Christmas break.

"This is not an excuse and we’re not looking for an alibi. But this has also been the complaint of those who came before us: the budget schedule as mandated by the Constitution cramps Congress," Andaya said.

"When two chambers are given just 150 days to write the budget, then there will always be a mad dash to finish it. If the budget is submitted, say, in April, there would be no cramming," he added.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the government automatically operates under the previous budget during a new fiscal year if Congress fails to pass a budget by the end of the year.

Andaya clarified, however, that budget reenactments have "become more of a rule than an exception since the legislative budget process, which begins with the submission of the proposed budget by the President in late July, was defined by the Constitution."

"Of the 18 fiscal years since1988, only six General Appropriations Acts were signed before Dec. 31 of the previous year. In fact one GAA, for 1991, was signed halfway into that year, in June," he pointed out.

Unlike in the United States, where federal government shutdown is mandated if no budget is signed into law before the start of the fiscal year, the Philippine government continues to operate despite the absence of a new budget, he said.

"The sky will not fall if we don’t have a new budget by Jan. 1. Government will continue to function. There is no Cinderella deadline in budget-making where everything will fall apart if no budget is made before the clock strikes 12 on the night of Dec. 31,"Andaya said.

Mrs. Arroyo has been fighting allegations of poll fraud ever since audiotapes allegedly of wiretapped phone conversations between her and an election official discussing ways to rig last year’s presidential election were released to the public.

She had admitted phoning an unidentified election official during the vote count but denies manipulating the May 2004 election results.

The charges led to an impeachment bid by the opposition that was struck down by Arroyo allies in the House last Sept. 6.

Mrs. Arroyo is currently locked in a protracted battle with the opposition after the impeachment complaint against her was junked.

The political bickering has slowed work in Congress because lawmakers were largely busy either attacking or defending Mrs. Arroyo.