Palace welcomes resumption of budget hearings
Malacanang welcomed on Thursday a plan to resume budget hearing next week.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, told reporters there were no changes in the proposed cash-based P3.757 trillion budget.
As far as he knew, he said there was no "compromise" reached that would pave the way for the resumption of the budget deliberation by the House appropriations committee.
"I heard that they will resume hearings which is good...as far as I know there were no changes in the budget. It is still the same budget that we submitted," Roque said.
The House committee on appropriations, chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, suspended about two weeks ago the deliberation on the proposed budget for 2019.
According to Nograles, congressmen want to return to obligation-based budgeting and not the cash-based, which is the proposal of the administration.
He said budget hearings would resume if the Palace would return to obligation-based budgeting.
But Malacanang has remained firm not to give in to the House's call and even expressed openness for a reenacted budget. Celerina Monte/DMS
