Supplemental budget passed next week — Drilon

The Senate is on track to pass the supplemental budget for the reenacted 2005 budget by next week, and according to Sen. Franklin Drilon, the total figure would be maintained.

Drilon, who chairs the committee on finance, said that the P46.4-billion supplemental budget proposed by Malacañang would be approved but several realignments would have to be made.

Drilon issued the statement after emerging from the final hearing on the supplemental budget at the Senate yesterday.

His committee will issue its report within the week and present it during the session for debates on Monday.

"We intend to support the proposed supplemental budget requested in the amount of P46.9 (billion) for the current year. However, we will be realigning within the departments the items that are allocated in order to be realistic," Drilon said.

The P46.9 billion quoted by Drilon represents the P46.4 billion plus the P500 million requested by Malacañang for the evacuation of Filipino workers in Lebanon.

Just like the House of Representatives which provided P2 billion in the supplemental budget for the oil spill cleanup, rehabilitation and livelihood programs for the affected areas in Guimaras, Drilon said that the Senate version would have close to the same figure.

Part of the funding for the Guimaras oil slick cleanup, specifically P400 million, would be taken from the P500 million proposed by Malacañang for the Lebanon evacuation effort.

Drilon explained that the original purpose of the P500 million requested by the Arroyo administration is no longer necessary considering that the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding and most of the Filipinos who were in danger have already been evacuated.

"What we are saying is that all doesn’t have to come from the P46.4 billion but part of the P2 billion can come from the P500-million allocation for the repatriation of OFWs in Lebanon, which is no longer necessary," Drilon said.

The standby fund for the Lebanon evacuation would be reduced to just P50 million under the supplemental budget because the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will provide P350 million for the same purpose.

Another P50 million would be allocated for the relief operations for communities around restive Mayon volcano in Albay.

Several realignments were also disclosed by Drilon including the removal of close to P2 billion from the Department of Transportation and Communications representing what was described as the equity rental fee for the MRT-3 project.

Drilon pointed out that this provision was not included in the proposed 2006 national budget and that DOTC assistant secretary Roberto Lastimoso himself admitted that they do not need the funding yet.

In the Department of Education’s (DepEd) case, Drilon said that the proposed budget would be maintained including the additional P1 billion approved by the House but several items would have to be realigned.

For example, the budget proposed by the DepEd would carry P1.47 billion for 10,000 new positions in 2006. Since the budget will be implemented in October, obviously, the P1.47 billion would be in excess but we will not reduce the budget of the DepEd, but realign some of these monies in the areas that will be suggested by the DepEd," Drilon noted.