Senate cut budgets in some agencies.

[marke]

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Salceda: Budget talks dead

The panel head of the House of Representatives at the bicameral conference committee said Thursday he terminated the deliberations on the 2006 national budget with the Senate, raising the prospect the 2005 outlay will be re-enacted.

Albay Rep Joey Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, told DZMM in a text message that he is "compelled to terminate further negotiations on the budget since all options for a viable agreement have already been explored and exhausted with no practical result."

"We went into bicam with no intuitions it would be a walk in the park but cognizant of the stakes, especially for the economy and the poor. The House gave its best shot. The bicam is dead," he said.

Hopes for the approval of the proposed P1.053-trillion budget waned as legislators struggled to break a deadlock over budget cuts.

The House approved the budget submitted by Malacañan. The Senate, however, wanted it cut by P26 billion, suspecting that the amount was meant as pork barrel for the President.

The deadlock raised the possibility of the 2005 budget being re-enacted, a prospect senators are not comfortable with.

"If we do not have a breakthrough today [Wednesday] for a compromise, we might have a re-enacted budget," Sen. Manuel Villar said.

"The communication lines are always open but the telephone is not ringing."

Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, denied he has talked to Malacañan to resolve the disagreement over the budget. "Why should I talk to Malacañan? It [budget approval] is between the Senate and the House of Representatives."

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the President’s threat to veto a trimmed-down 2006 budget only shows her dictatorial tendency.

"That should not be her attitude, because that would imply that she does not respect anymore the power of Congress to appropriate funds for the operations of government," Pimentel said.

If the 2005 budget is enacted it will be favorable to Mrs. Arroyo. The only problem is that she wants more budget for 2006. This is what the Senate opposed. The Senate wants to rationalize the budget because it believe there is some abuse in the spending of public funds. This quite troubling because Gloria wants to play hardball. NOw she realizes that the Senate is a hard nut to crack. I hope Arroyo now sees the price she has to pay of disresepecting the Senate.

I admire the Senate for being the last bastion of political stability and integrity in this country.

[kiwiboy]

^^^^hey marke, militante ka?

[kiwiboy]

^^^^hey marke, militante ka?

[tonz_23_80]

^^^^hey marke, militante ka?

dili na cya militante, in my own opinion, he is merely explaning the good side of the budget cuts. ako ok sa budget cut in some government agencies kasi we can pay our national debt. NAKITA KO RIN HOW MUCH THE MONEY GOES TO WASTE IF IT GOES TO THESE AGENCIES COZ SOME OF THE PROJECTS BECOME GHOST PROJECTS jst like in some local government units. And much more to these NATIONAL OFFICES!!! alam nyo, the only way that our country to prosper is for our government to pay in double time our national debt.

[potterboy]

right. and para mas mahuman tanan, prisohon na gyud ug tinood si estrada ug iyang mga kakontsaba.

[baron]

From what I read about the news today, Sen. Ralph Recto himself said that the 2006 National Budget can still be passed if the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Malacañang will soften their stands on the budget impasse.

It would be best if only they could have a compromised ground on the issue. From what I see, even the General Appropriations Act is subject to the political gridlock of the present political set- up. Hence, even our very own budget cannot be passed on time. What more the other equally important pending bills?