MANILA, Philippines — Albay Rep. Joey Salceda insisted on Saturday that the House of Representatives’ decision to make post approval insertions in the 2020 spending bill was legal and senators should just wait for the bill before making judgements. ADVERTISEMENT“Their turn to scrutinize the budget bill will come when we formally transmit to them the printed copy of the 2020 (general appropriations bill) on Oct. 1,” he added. ‘Small committee’Salceda also defended the House’s decision to form a “small committee” that inserted amendments to the House version of the spending bill even after it was approved on Sept. 20. The 303-member chamber approved the bill, 294-6, in what House leaders lauded as approval “in record time.”But Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the House cannot gloat over having “approved” the 2020 budget bill because a small committee was still inserting amendments days after its approval. Moreover, Salceda said that the act of forming a committee to make insertions even after its approval is legal and has been done since the Eighth Congress.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 28, 2019 21:11 UTC