‘Reenacted budget vulnerable to corruption’

MANILA, Philippines — A spokesperson for Vice President Leni Robredo warned yesterday against the negative implications of operating on a reenacted budget in 2019. 

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez noted that this would be the first time in more than a decade that the government would have reenacted appropriations, which he said is vulnerable to corruption.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, along with other lawmakers, earlier said the country would likely have a reenacted budget in January while the P3.7-trillion proposed budget for 2019 is not yet approved.

“It’s hard to have a reenacted budget. If we remember during the time of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the budget was reenacted nine times and operating under a previous year’s budget has always been seen as prone to corruption,” Gutierrez told radio station dzXL.  

If Congress fails to pass a new national budget before the end of the year, the current budget is automatically reenacted, meaning new programs and projects proposed for 2019 will be unfunded since the previous outlay will be reused next year.

“That’s what happened before (during Arroyo’s term),” Gutierrez, a former lawmaker, said. “It’s very clear to us at the start of the session that the most important bill to pass is the budget for the coming year.”

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri last week said the Senate would no longer insist on finishing deliberations on the proposed 2019 budget this year.

The Senate has yet to tackle budget proposals of the departments of tourism, health, defense, energy and public works.