Senate to press for budget approval

Senators have pledged not to call sine die to go into a long recess ahead of the inaugural of the 12th Legislature next January until after the proposed FY 2000 budget is passed and signed by the governor.

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes said he would press passage of the $206 million spending package to ensure that their concerns, such as scholarship and medical referral programs, are included in the anticipated expenditures of the government for the next nine months.

“We will pursue it and we will not call sine die unless we have approved the budget,” he said in an interview.

Senate President Paul A. Manglona also supported the move, noting that they will try to have the budget in place before the start of the second quarter of FY 2000 this January.

Legislative approval of the budget submitted by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio last April has ran into problems following disagreement between lawmakers and administration officials on how to distribute the money.

The government anticipates to collect slightly more than $206 million this fiscal year, about two percent down from the $210 million earned in revenues and taxes in 1999.

Due to the lower amount, several departments and agencies have asked the Legislature for bigger share of the pie to ensure delivery of public services to the community.

A day before the constitutionally-mandated deadline for the budget approval on Sept. 30, the House of Representatives and the governor agreed to hold off action on the package to try to seek other funding sources to augment share of key agencies.

The government is now running under the same spending level as last year’s based on the continuing resolution adopted by the Tenorio administration.

The House Ways and Means Committee, which has been reviewing the proposed expenditures of the government for the last seven months, is expected to make recommendations soon.

“I have no problem with passing the budget,” said Chairman Karl T. Reyes. “But it will be proper to see how the government fared in the first quarter based on the amount it spent.”

He added that they are awaiting an assessment on the first-quarter financial status before the committee resumes its deliberation.

Tenorio earlier has expressed hope that lawmakers will immediately buckle down to work after the Nov. 6 elections where eight incumbents were unseated.

House Speaker Diego T. Benavente, however, raised the possibility of not tackling the budget at all if it’s shown that the government can operate efficiently without the legislative restrictions.