‘No need for special session on ’08 budget’

There’s no need for President Arroyo to call Congress to a special session during its six-week Christmas break to pass her proposed P1.227-trillion 2008 budget, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said yesterday.

He said it is the bicameral conference committee on the budget, and not the entire Congress, that needs to convene during the recess to iron out the conflicting Senate and House versions of the appropriations bill.

“The committee will meet after the Christmas holidays, together with the technical staff, to come up with the final version of the budget,” he said.

He added that the panel is scheduled to submit its report when Congress resumes session later next month.

“We will have nothing to approve if we convene in a special session during our break,” he stressed.

He pointed out that there would be no disruption in government operations as Malacañang could release funds on the basis of this year’s budget, which would be automatically reenacted on Jan. 1, 2008.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Wednesday the President might call for a special session to give lawmakers enough time to fine-tune and approve the budget proposal.

Asked about the P30 billion in pork barrel funds that opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Mrs. Arroyo would have at her disposal in her proposed budget, De Venecia said the conference committee would have to determine “if these are really pork barrel funds.”

He said he doubted if the President would have that much pork barrel funds at her disposal.

“But if there are, these can be reduced to a manageable level, or we can allocate the money for social services,” he said.

According to Lacson, the questionable items in the proposed budget are funds that offer Mrs. Arroyo “much elbow room in determining the amount and the beneficiary without the mandatory audit.”

“I think this is where all the argument in the bicameral conference will narrow down to – is the President willing to cut down funds at her disposal and lock in these funds in social services like health and education?” he said.

Apparently, these funds include the P650-million intelligence budget of the Office of the President, the P3-billion Kilos Asenso fund and the P1-billion Kalayaan ng Barangay fund.

They also include P12 billion that the House had cut from the P296-billion loan interest payments appropriation but which the Senate restored. Senators were willing to take away only P5 billion from debt service funds.

Aside from the huge cut in debt service, the House had also reduced the Kilos Asenso and Kalayaan ng Barangay items by P1 billion.

These two items are new appropriations in the annual outlay. Two years ago, Mrs. Arroyo already included these in her 2006 budget proposal. She sought P5 billion for Kilos Asenso and P3 billion for Kalayaan ng Barangay, for a total of P8 billion.

The Senate, headed then by former Sen. Franklin Drilon, wanted to scrap the P8 billion “presidential pork,” but Mrs. Arroyo, supported by the House, insisted that it be kept.

That sent the bicameral conference on the budget into a deadlock. It never resumed and no budget was enacted for 2006.

Besides presidential pork, debt service reduction would be another contentious issue in the conference on the budget.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, House appropriations committee chairman, said he and his colleagues would insist on realigning substantial sums from debt service that would be saved “as a consequence of the continuing appreciation of the peso vis-à-vis the US dollar.”

They would also insist “on the suspension of interest payments for loans which are challenged as fraudulent, tainted and/or useless pending their renegotiation or condonation,” he said.

“We must also expunge from the budget the Executive’s premature allocations of about P5 billion for interest payments for projected program loans still in the pipeline,” Lagman said. “We must not immobilize precious funds which cannot be utilized during the fiscal year,” he said.

At the Senate, minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said a special session would just be a waste of time.

“I think many of our colleagues are already out of the country and we will be questioned on the lack of quorum and all that,” he said in a television interview. “I will be here but (I have) other commitments,” Pimentel said. But Sen. Manuel Roxas II welcomes the holding of a special session.

“A special session would be okay, but we have to make sure first if we can come up with the bicameral report,” he said. The government, he said, is likely to work on a reenacted budget.

Different view

But many lawmakers are amenable to holding a special session.

“Yes, especially since a lot of laws have to be worked on,” Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian said.

“I’m prepared to work at anytime of the year provided my time with my constituents is not compromised,” Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra said.

President Arroyo’s brother-in-law, Negros Occidental Rep. Iggy Arroyo, said he welcomes such call for a special session. “I’m willing to work if called upon,” he declared in a text message.

“If President calls special session, most congressmen will surely attend. We can still get quorum after January 4 or 5 thereabouts. “Congressmen will answer the call of duty to pass vital legislation and will be willing to cut short their Christmas break,” said Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles.

An Waray Rep. Florencio “Bem” Noel will have no trouble with a special session “provided it is clear” and that his colleagues will always be “ready for whatever purpose.” Antipolo Rep. Robbie Puno said he is also willing to attend the special session.

Quezon Rep. Sonny Angara was open to the idea, but expressed misgivings over its practicality.

“Chances are that attendance will be poor as most representatives will be out of Manila. Secondly, the session hall is to be closed for repairs over the break to install wiring for planned computerization, so meeting would be difficult without a large venue,” he said.

Reps. Joseph Santiago of Catanduanes and Ferjenel Biron of Iloilo shared the same view, saying it would just be useless without a quorum, especially since most lawmakers have already gone out of the country or out of town.

“If there is a need it’s okay. But it appears there will be no quorum. Between Christmas and New Year I doubt if they can reach a quorum,” Santiago said.

“What’s the use of holding special session if this will not be passed anyway?” Biron asked. “Of course, I can re-arrange my schedule. I think the others can also. But I don’t think it’s feasible because most of the congressmen will have their own vacation,” Biron said. With Delon Porcalla and Christina Mendez