TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang was elated after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the P3.75 trillion annual budget of the national government this year amidst the partial veto done on some P95 billion worth of projects that were allegedly inserted in the appropriations of the public works department.
Mangaoang, who is also serving as the caretaker congressman of Mountain Province, said that the signing into law of the 2019 annual budget will guarantee the implementation of the government’s priority projects, especially those earmarked for the development of less developed areas in the country, that were prioritized by the concerned government agencies to help advance the growth and development of rural areas pursuant to the build, build, build program of the present administration.
However, the lawmaker is still looking into the vetoed projects to ascertain if there are some projects in Kalinga and Mountain Province that were included although he expressed confidence that the projects for the two provinces that he submitted for funding do not fall under the classification of insertions.
“We are optimistic that no funds earmarked for our priority projects in Kalinga and Mountain Province were vetoed by the President because the same passed through the processes prescribed by the concerned government agencies in the identification of projects that will be provided funds in the annual budget of the national government,” Rep. Mangaoang stressed.
He admitted that the delayed signing into law of the 2019 national budget by the President should serve as a lesson for lawmakers in both chambers of Congress not to repeat the same mistakes in the approval of the upcoming budgets so that the operation of a re-enacted budget will be avoided considering its serious negative impact to the smooth delivery of basic services to the people who are in dire need of government assistance for whatever purpose.
According to him, the President exercised his veto powers of the alleged insertions in the budget that is why lawmakers should not insist on what they want to avoid unnecessary conflicts that will greatly affect the overall operations of the national government which should not be the case because it is the greater interest of the people that is being compromised by the non-operation of the approved budget due to the reservations of Palace officials on the funds inserted for the priority projects of a few influential lawmakers.
Mangaoang assured the people of Kalinga and Mountain Province on the speedy implementation of the funded priority projects lodged with the different government agencies once the ban on the implementation of projects shall have expired after the conduct of the May 13, 2019 mid-term elections so that there will be continuity in the completion of programmed development projects in the different parts of the country.
He claimed that programmed projects will surely implemented pursuant to the programs of work of the same that were prepared which served as the basis in the provision of funds from the budget to ensure the implementation of the same considering the benefits that it will bring to the people in rural areas of the country.
The congressman ensured the inclusion of more development projects for Kalinga and Mountain Province in future budgets of the national government in the future.
By HENT
