Budget passage must be Congress’ first priority

NOW that the 2020 National Expenditure Program, the administration’s proposed P4.1-trillion budget for next year, has been handed over to the House of Representatives, it is timely to remind members of both houses of Congress that the country will have very little tolerance for a repeat of last year’s unnecessary impasse. To avoid another near-disastrous outcome, the blame for which will — again — fall squarely at the feet of the legislature, the 2020 budget bill must be passed on time, to the exclusion of other work, if necessary.

To recall, the 2019 budget was delayed due to what amounted to a turf war between the House and Senate over certain items that had been inserted in the budget during the course of deliberations over it. The P3.7-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2019 should have been passed before the year-end holiday in December, but instead was not finally approved and passed along for the President’s signature until mid-April this year.