Mula 8th Congress may ‘small committee’ na — Lagman

NOON pa mang 8th Congress bumubuo na ang Mababang Kapulungan ng “small committee” upang ayusin at pagandahin ang pinagbotohan at ipinasa ng mga mambabatas.

Ayon kay Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman matagal nang tradisyon ang pagbuo ng “small committee” at may  “presumption of regularity in effecting corrections of style and errata after the approval of the national budget on second reading.”

“This tradition on the work of the small committee dates back to the 8th Congress, and the composition and task of the small committee to effect amendments were authorized and ratified by the plenary on 16 October 2020,” ayon kay Lagman.

“This more than three-decade old tradition is well known to the senators who have accepted it for a long period of time,” paliwanag ni Lagman habang idinedepensa ang “small committee” sa pag-aayos ng “P20 billion institutional amendments” sa loob ng panukalang pambansang budget para sa 2021 na nagkakahalaga ng P4.5 trillion.

“The House approved on second reading the GAB subject to the amendments to be approved by the small committee, which colatilla necessarily applied to the approval on third reading,” giit ni Lagman.

Kinuwestiyon ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson ang “small committee” sa pagkorek at paglalagay ng “errata” sa pambansang budget.

Ani Lacson, hindi na puwedeng baguhin ang panukala matapos ipasa ng Kamara.

Subalitn ayon kaybLagman “what was approved on third reading is the second reading copy of the GAB (General Appropriations Bill) subject to the amendments to be approved by the small committee.”

“Consequently, the amendments to be approved by the small committee are pursuant to the conditional approval of the GAB on second and third readings pending the incorporation of the amendments to be effected by the small committee,” anang mambabatas ng Albay.

Paliwanag niya napakaliit ng panhon ng Kamara para tapusin ang amyenda sa panukala mula sa komite at sa bawat isang mambabatas habang minamadali ito ng Senado.

“Due to time constraints, the limited timetable set in the President’s call for a short four-day special session for the House to consider and approve the General Appropriations Bill without further delay, and the insistence of some Senators for the House to submit soonest to the Senate the copy of the GAB,” ani Lagman.

(GERRY BALDO)