The Senate is eyeing the approval of the proposed 2021 budget by the end of November, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Wednesday, October 28.

Sotto gave the Senate’s projected timeline for its budget deliberations at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

“Pagka-November 24 (On November 24), period of amendments then approval on 2nd reading and approval on 3rd reading because it’s a certified bill,” Sotto said.

President Rodrigo Duterte already certified as urgent the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), waiving the mandatory 3-day interval between a bill’s 2nd and 3rd readings.

The Senate President once again thanked Speaker Lord Allan Velasco after the House of Representatives transmitted a copy of the 2021 GAB to the Senate on Tuesday, October 27 – a day earlier than Sotto’s initial request.

He said that this will now allow senators to focus on their job to scrutinize the proposed expenditure program for next year.

The Senate committee on finance kicked off its budget hearings weeks ago. With Congress set to resume session on November 9, Sotto said the 2021 GAB can be sponsored in the plenary for marathon deliberations from November 11 to 17.

Should the Senate successfully pass the 2021 budget on 3rd and final reading by November 24, Sotto said both houses of Congress can then convene the bicameral conference committee.

The bicam is tasked to thresh out conflicting provisions of the House and Senate measures, including the GAB. 

“Ibig sabihin no’n hopefully from that time hanggang December 8, barring unforeseen circumstances during the bicam…the bicam [report] will be approved by December 8,” said Sotto.

(That means hopefully from that time until December 8, barring unforeseen circumstances during the bicam….the bicam report will be approved by December 8.)

Senators were initially concerned that the rivalry between Velasco and Taguig City-Pateros 1st District Representative Alan Peter Cayetano would derail the timely passage of the 2021 budget. 

In a bid to block Velasco from taking over the speakership, Cayetano had suspended session at the House on October 6 instead of on October 14. It effectively pushed back the budget bill’s final reading and passage by a month.

The President then called on Congress to hold a special session, forcing the House to reconvene from October 13 to 16.  Backed by majority of House members already turned off by Cayetano, Velasco ousted his rival as Speaker on October 13. (READ: INSIDE STORY: Cayetano’s hubris turns Batasan into the House of Lord)

Velasco then led marathon plenary hearings in the House to pass the budget according to schedule. 

Senate ‘will not soft pedal’ on DPWH

Sotto assured the public that the Senate will ensure that there would be no illegal insertions in the 2021 budget. 

This includes the proposed budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), whose appropriations critics have long identified as the new political currency in Congress ever since the Supreme Court deemed as unconstitutional the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel.

“Pagdating sa DPWH, palagay ko ‘yung aming committee ng finance ni Senator [Sonny] Angara (When it comes to the DPWH, I think the committee on finance of Senator Sonny Angara) will not mince words if they find something that’s sticking out like a sore thumb in the budget,” Sotto said. 

“Then of course we have Senator [Panfilo] Lacson who have been checking the lump sums. Hopefully paglabas sa amin, walang lump sums (when we send it out, there will be no lump sums),” he added.

In the same forum, Sotto was asked if Senator Cynthia Villar would interfere if her colleagues dig deeper into the issues hounding DPWH, the agency headed by her son Mark. Sotto said he doubts it. 

“We will not soft pedal on DPWH. And knowing Cynthia, hinahayaan naman niya eh. I’ve seen it in the past eh. Ang daming interpellations sa DPWH, hinahayaan lang niya,” said Sotto. 

(We will not soft pedal on DPWH. And knowing Cynthia, she would not interfere. I’ve seen in the past. There were a lot of interpellations on DPWH but she lets them be.)

He also welcomed Duterte’s order to the Department of Justice to investigate the entire government for corruption, with “special focus” on the DPWH.

House members were reportedly involved in corrupt practices within the agency. 

“The investigation, it’s a welcome thing actually. Not just Congress but the entire government bureaucracy  should be investigated,” said Sotto, adding that the DOJ should begin probing into the corruption-laden Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue. – Rappler.com