Monday, October 19, 2020

House changes to budget not allowed. Inquirer Newsletter. October 20, 2020

MOBILE WIFI Long idle school buses are back on the streets in Manila to provide wifi for a minimal fee to thousands of students bugged by poor internet connection in their online classes under the Konek Tayo program, launched on Monday by (from left) Ayala Corp. CEO Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Globe Telecom president Ernest Cu, Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno’’ Domagoso and Vice Mayor Maria Shiela "Honey’’ Lacuna-Pangan. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

News

Global coronavirus cases surpass 40M milestone

BENGALURU, INDIA—Worldwide coronavirus cases crossed 40 million on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere fueled a resurgence in the spread of the disease. —REUTERS

Read more: http://philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com/@AD14433610/csb_GWQ-jH1NQGRNMQov9m3g-Bp--zz80dwDcxzKx3RN5jjmEvfG4YniBMPnc2uvTC03

World

‘Teaching yes, bleeding no’: France honors slain teacher

PARIS—Thousands of people gathered across France on Sunday to support teachers and defend freedom of expression after the killing of Samuel Paty, a history teacher beheaded by a suspected Islamist on Friday. —REUTERS

Lifestyle & Wellness

COVID ‘just an additional nuisance’ for breast cancer patients

The photograph of breast cancer patient Irene Lee sitting quietly in a chair along a corridor in Makati Medical Center (MMC) appears strangely eerie, as Lee herself admits, because the normally bustling hospital appears deserted. —Story by Alya B. Honasan

Newsletter / Join us

Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine.

Banner story

House changes to budget not allowed

Whether they call them “amendments” or “errata,” any change to the approved version of the 2021 general appropriations bill (GAB) is a violation of the Constitution, Sen. Panfilo Lacson told the House leadership on Monday.

The Senate’s pork hunter chided Rep. Eric Yap, House appropriations panel chair, for his remarks on Saturday that all amendments introduced by a small committee to the approved GAB were mere agency-initiated corrections to the original proposal.

“No amount of technicalities and sweet-talk maneuvers can correct a flawed budget that is supposed to address the problems and concerns of more than 100 million Filipinos,” Lacson said in a statement.

‘Infirm, error-filled budget’

“[Yap’s claim] that the ‘errata,’ aka amendments, will come from the implementing agencies and not from the individual House members will further muddle an already constitutionally infirm and error-filled budget measure,” he said.

“Why? The authorization part of the four-phase budget process is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress, and the executive should deal only with budget preparation and execution,” Lacson said.

The four phases are budget preparation, legislation, execution, and evaluation. The House passed the P4.5-trillion spending bill on third and final reading on Friday before suspending session. But in line with customary practice in the 301-member chamber, a small committee was formed to make last-minute changes to the bill before transmitting it to the Senate. --WITH A REPORT FROM JULIE M. AURELIO INQ

Editorial

Mockery upon mockery

On the first day of the special session called by President Duterte to tackle the 2021 national budget on Oct. 13, Ducielle Cardema was sworn in as representative of the party list group Duterte Youth, which has been hounded by issues of legitimacy since it won one seat in Congress during the 2019 elections.

Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net