House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said in a press conference on Tuesday that the House of Representatives is determined to closely coordinate with the Senate and the Executive branch to achieve zero veto in the 18th Congress, especially on the 2020 National Budget.
Deputy Majority Leader Wilter “Sharky” Palma and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla were also present during the briefing.
Majority Leader Romualdez underscored that targeting zero veto does not intend to withhold the prerogative of the President on the legislative process, but to promote better coordination between both chambers and between the Legislative and Executive branches.
He shared that this was agreed upon by the House and Senate leaders in their small group Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting on Monday.
“Through the leadership of the Speaker, we joined the small delegation of LEDAC at the Malacañang palace for the furtherance [of] better synergies, better coordination, better efficiencies so that there would be fewer differences and conflicts between the Houses and the Executive,” he said.
Majority Leader Romualdez noted that the chamber will meet regularly with the Senate and the Executive in an effort to avoid copious disagreements on the budget and steer clear from any delays on its approval.
"Maganda yung kasunduan natin, excited din kami na magmi-meet more often. Pag parati kayong nag-uusap, the chances of miscommunication or misunderstanding ay nababawasan,” Majority Leader Romualdez said.
He then maintained that the House is targeting the passage of the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) before October 5 or prior to their session break.
While the House leaders have not yet scheduled a meeting with Secretary Wendel Avisado of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Romualdez expressed that they are looking forward to seeing him soon on August 16 or a week after that.
August 16 is the set schedule for the submission of the 2020 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the House.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader pointed out that “Kung may budget, dapat may pagkukunan din. We’ll [work on] revenue-generating measures, as well, to fund the budget for the much needed programs and projects of this administration.”
He, however, explained that the approval of these bills, which were prioritized by the President in his 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA), will be accelerated in accordance with Section 48 of the House Rules.
It states that: “In case of bills or resolutions that are identified as priority measures of the House, which were previously filed in the immediately preceding Congress and have been approved on 3rd reading, the same may be disposed of as matters already reported upon the approval of majority of the Members of the committee present, there being a quorum. The committee secretary shall immediately prepare the necessary committee reports on said measures for inclusion in the Calendar of Business.”
“Those [priority measures] may be fast-tracked through the Committees. Definitely, they don’t have to go through the whole process from square one,” said Romualdez.| Molie Gonzales, News and Documentation Section-Press and Public Affairs Bureau/ House of Representatives of the Philippines
http://www.congress.gov.ph/press/details.php?pressid=11652
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