Manglona calls for emergency session to pass a new budget

Senate majority leader Paul A. Manglona pushed yesterday for an emergency joint session of both houses of the Legislature to pass a new budget on or before Sept. 30.

He said he hopes a budget can be passed by Sept. 15.

“We have only three weeks remaining to do it. It would be good if we can hold a joint session and have it by Sept. 15,” said the senator in an interview yesterday.

Gov. Juan N. Babauta said during yesterday’s press conference that he has renewed his call to the Legislature to pass a new budget immediately but he has not made a specific call for an emergency joint session.

“A mere mention of ‘emergency’ scares some of them so…it’s best if it comes from them. If there’s a member who would raise that up, I’ll be very glad to have a dialogue with the Legislature,” said Babauta.

Yesterday’s press conference at the Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe was attended by government officials, including Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano and Manglona.

When asked, Adriano said he would favor the holding of a joint session but he said this cannot be done as yet because the House has not even come up with a final budget bill.

“What are going to do if there’s no budget resolution? This is a call that should be made to the House because the budget is with them,” said Adriano.

When reached, House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial said that the lower chamber has adopted the $208 million available resources for fiscal year 2006.

The resolution would give the government a net balance of $156 million in view of the $50 million piecemeal budget for the Public School System and $2 million for budget deficit.

“What’s the Senate’s been doing about the budget? We’ve adopted the concurrent resolution. The Senate has to approve it before we can move on with the PSS budget,” said Fitial.

The House approved only on first reading House Bill 14-371, which appropriates $50 million to PSS for FY 2006.

House Ways and Means committee chair Norman S. Palacios also said yesterday that the House has approved HCR 14-3. “It should be at the Senate now,” he said.

The House clerk, however, said that HCR 14-3 was only adopted on first reading and therefore remains on the House calendar.

Likewise, House minority leader Arnold I. Palacios said the budget resolution was put on hold for final approval pending some clarification from the Department of Finance.

“There’s a need to clarify some points to ensure we get accurate figures. So the concurrent resolution is still with us,” he said.

HCR 14-3 rejects the Babauta administration’s nearly $20 million proposed revenue enhancement measures which form part of its $225.8 million budget submission last April.

The budget submission included proposals to raise the poker fee licensure fee by $6,000, suspend Tobacco Control and Tobacco Settlement Funds, and divert local poker funds to the General Fund.

The administration identified $206 million in available resources for FY 2006 in view of the projected decline in revenues from the garment industry.

Both Fitial and Palacios believe that a new budget for FY 2006 can still be passed within the month.

The government has only three weeks left to deliberate on the budget before the start of FY 2006, which sets in effective Oct. 1 this year.

The government currently operates on a $213-million funding level.