By Mario Casayuran The insertion of P230 billion in so-called “institutional amendments’’ to the proposed 2020 P4.1 trillion national budget by the Senate may open the way to the House of Representatives’ submitting its own amendments in the current Senate-Lower House bicameral conference committee meeting. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) This was intimated Saturday by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate energy and basic education committees, during a radio interview where the heads of the Senate finance committee and the House appropriations committee were authorized to sit down and discuss their budget versions. Lawmakers had wished that the Duterte administration would not operate under a re-enacted budget in the 2020 fiscal year, Gatchalian said he is confident that both committees would be able to iron out the differing provisions of their budget versions and both Legislative Houses ratify their report for eventually signing by the President before the year ends. Insistence by the Lower House panel for the Senate to approve its expected amendments containing billions of pesos worth of pet projects of congressmen may throw a monkey wrench to an expected smooth bicameral conference meeting. That is if the Senate rejects it. Because of the insertion and insistence by the Lower House of more than P90 billion pork barrel in the proposed 2019 budget, the Duterte administration was forced to operate for three months under the 2018 budget. President Duterte broke this impasse when he agreed with the Senate that the Lower House’s pork barrel appropriation was not in the third and final reading approval. The president thus vetoed the Lower House insertion it being unconstitutional. The so-called institutional amendments by the Senate in the proposed 2020 budget refer to re-alignments of the slow-moving 2019 budgets of some government departments or agencies to departments and agencies that need more funds. Gatchalian cited as example the increased fund requirements of the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Energey Regulatory Council (ERC). ‘’Thus, anything can happen at the bicameral,’’ he said. Gatchalian said the first day of the bicameral meeting held at the Manila Polo Club at Makati’s Forbes Park lasted for only 20 minutes after it was agreed that Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara, finance committee chairman, and his House counterpart sit down and discuss and iron out the differing versions of their budgets. He said he is confident that the bicameral conference committee meeting will be finished late next week.