00:00Discovery of premature insertions in the 2026 National Expenditure Program put the proposed national budget under a cloud of doubt.
00:07Given insertions, the lawmakers could not trace the source from whence they came.
00:12But rather than punt it back to the DBM, which has never been done before,
00:16the House Speaker persuaded his colleagues to soldier on and just work with the DBM in doing the fixes on the fly.
00:22Armella Las Moras has more.
00:23Contrary to what happened yesterday when the House Party leaders jointly announced
00:31their recommendation to return the 2026 National Expenditure Program or NEP to the Department of Budget and Management or DBM
00:39due to various issues with its content.
00:41Today, the House Committee on Appropriations has resumed its budget deliberations as the group has withdrawn its recommendation.
00:48According to Appropriations Vice Chair Jose Alvarez, who was among those behind the recommendation,
00:54it was House Speaker Martin Romualdez himself who told them to just proceed with the budget briefings.
01:00The DBM and the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH have assured that they would fix the issues in the budget proposal instead.
01:07Mga 9 o'clock kagabi, tumawag na sila na sila na lang huwag punta rito.
01:14Aayosin nila.
01:16Yung DBM po?
01:17Si Secretary Binsa at si Sigmina.
01:20Sila nakiusap na dito na, tuloy na lang para hindi na maghahul sa panahon.
01:26But we gave them 10 days to do it.
01:28Appropriations Chair Mikaela Swan Singh also supported this.
01:31She said that even if the recommendation was approved, it would not have been illegal.
01:36In terms of legality, actually, walang nakikitang legal impediment.
01:40Pero, of course, given that we also want to make sure that the budget is passed on time,
01:48so we also have to work as much as we can kung ano yung kaya natin gawin to be able to meet that deadline.
01:54Kaya yun yung ating ginagawa na tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung ating budget deliberation.
02:00One of those being linked to the budget issue is a co-be-call party.
02:03Partilist Representative Elizalde Coe, who served as the House Appropriations Committee Chair during the 19th Congress.
02:10But according to House Postperson Princess Abante, he's currently out of the country.
02:15He's currently out of the country.
02:18I understand he is nasa United States for medical treatment with appropriate travel documents.
02:28Meanwhile, Coe's colleague and fellow a co-be-call Partilist Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. assured that their service continues despite the issues.
02:37Tuloy-tuloy mo yung aming programa, yung core advocacy namin sa education, sa health, sa mga livelihood trainings, sa social services,
02:45and of course our active participation sa kongreso.
02:50May natin na yung anak niya sa Boston University.
02:53In time also for his regular check-up doon, he was advised by the doctor to have an extensive check-up kasi may na-mention sa akin na parang 90 over 60 ang baba daw ng blood pressure.
03:06As of now, still on the topic of the budget, House Committee on Human Rights Chair Bienvenido Abante Jr.
03:13has also called for an investigation into what he claims as an attempted insertion of 8 billion pesos to the PNP budget for 2026.
03:23Melales Moras from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
