By FERDIE MAGLALANG
Malacañang expressed yesterday optimism that the Senate will act immediately on the Palace-proposed R1.053-trillion national budget for 2006 as soon as the House of Representatives transmits its approved copy of the appropriation measure to the Upper House.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye issued this statement as the House is expected to transmit the 2006 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) next week. The House passed last week the measure on second reading after a marathon session that lasted until five a.m.
"The Senate has had advanced discussions and hearings on the budget. I think they (senators) have advanced work, that is why we don’t see any big hindrance to the approval of this 2006 budget," Bunye said in a radio interview.
The national government is operating under the reenacted 2005 budget and remains hopeful that the first-ever trillion-peso appropriation measure will eventually be enacted into law next month.
The Senate — led by Finance Committee chairman Sen. Manuel Villar, has been deliberating as a committee-of-the-whole on the suggested national budget although it has yet to receive the fund measure from the Lower House.
As practiced in the past, the Senate acted on the budget only after the measure had been approved and sent to it by the Lower Chamber.
The approval of the appropriation measure has been delayed for almost three months now because the House had to deliberate on the impeachment complaint file against President Arroyo last year, House Speaker Jose de Venecia said earlier.
Administration and opposition senators have earlier vowed to expedite the passage of the 2006 GAB immediately when the House formally turns over the measure to the Upper Chamber which, reports said, was deliberately delayed to secure support to the move to amend the Constitution.
"I think by next week the House of Representatives will approve the budget," Bunye said.
President Arroyo earlier blamed the delay in the passage of the national budget to Congress’ penchant for conducting "destructive investigations" aimed at weakening her administration.
Senators however said the issuance by the President of Executive Order 464 barring all Cabinet secretaries as well as senior military and police officers from attending and testifying before any congressional inquiries has contributed to the delay.
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