Session Reopens Tomorrow: Budget Remains the Main Agenda

The Senate will resume its session tomorrow, January 19, with the approval of the 2009 budget as its main agenda. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile expressed optimism that the budget approved within the month as the bicameral conference committee is set to convene next week the Senate and the House versions of the budget.
“We will push for the approval of the budget so that the projects will be implemented early for the people's benefit,” the Senate President said.
The Bicameral Conference Committee has had difficulty reconciling the House and Senate versions of the P1.415-trillion budget bill because of the Economic Stimulus Fund. Nevertheless, the Committee had agreed to increase its budget from P10 billion to P50 billion.
“This 50-Million Fund is meant to enable the country to cope with the global economic crunch and not intended to be a source of pork barrel. This would be sourced from the cut in debt servicing and not from cuts in the individual budget of government agencies,” Senator Edgardo Angara said. The Fund includes Reintegration Assistance for Returning Overseas Workers, a Rural Micro Enterprise Program, Livelihood Projects, environmental protection, Skills Development Training and an Agricultural Support Fund.
“Despite the marathon hearings for the early approval of the 2009 budget, the Senate had faithfully complied with its responsibility of passing significant measures that will be of great benefit to our people,” added Enrile.
Before the adjournment for a month-long Christmas break, the Senate passed several bills such as the National Tourism Act of 2008 which aims to provide the Filipinos with much-needed job opportunities in our country; the Involuntary Disappearance Bill which imposes stricter penalties for those who commit the act of enforced or involuntary disappearance; and the Child Pornography Act which prohibits child pornography and imposes stricter penalties and imprisonment for those who committed the act.
The primary agenda is the approval of the 2009 National Budget by the President. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel commented that the delay in the budget approval could be avoided if Malacañang would submit the General Appropriations to Congress earlier than July. This, he said, will shorten the budget deliberations by six months.
Before the adjournment for a month-long Christmas break, the Senate passed several bills such as the National Tourism Act of 2008 which aims to provide the Filipinos with much-needed job opportunities in our country; the Involuntary Disappearance Bill which imposes stricter penalties for those who commit the act of enforced or involuntary disappearance; and the Child Pornography Act which prohibits child pornography and imposes stricter penalties and imprisonment for those who committed the act.
“Despite the marathon hearings for the early approval of the 2009 budget, the Senate had faithfully complied with its responsibility of passing significant measures that will be of great benefit to our people,” declared Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
On the other hand, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri believed that the economic measures in the Senate agenda will help the people face the global economic meltdown which may result in job losses and decreased remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers.
However, the 2009 budget is currently at issue for reducing the budgets of the 21 state universities while tremendously increasing the budget of the University of the Philippines (UP), and for allocating P50 million for the Economic Stimulus Fund, which is known to be the biggest insertion by the Senate in the 2009 budget.
UP, the country’s premier state university, received the biggest increase of P362 million from the Senate that raised its 2009 budget to P6.8 billion. Reports said that UP’s subsidy next year is equivalent to the combined budgets of 47 state colleges and universities from the Ilocos Region, the Cordilleras, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, all the way down to Southern Tagalog and the Bicol Region.
Zubiri has lined up the following measures in the legislative agenda: the Baseline Bill, the Tourism Development Bill, the Anti-Child Pornography Law, and the Foster Care for Abandoned Children, which are all scheduled for bicameral conference committee; the Magna Carta for Women; the bill increasing the maximum deposit insurance coverage of PDIC; the Picture-Based Warnings on Tobacco Products; the Amendment to the PAG-IBIG Fund Charter; Amendment to the CARP Law; the Creation of the Climate Change Commission; the exemption of Senior Citizens from VAT; and the AFP Retirement and Disability Benefits.
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