Zubiri reiterates call to Malacañang to submit 2010 budget early

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday reiterated his call on Malacañang to submit to the Senate the soonest time possible the proposed 2010 national budget.

"The sooner they submit this year's national budget to the Senate, the earlier we can deliberate on it," he said.

The Majority Leader earlier expressed concern that once the period for the filing of candidacies begins in October, senators and other lawmakers seeking re-election and other elective positions might become too busy and involved in their campaigns, limiting them from exercising their legislative functions as soon as they have filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COC).

He said the Senate could get down to serious work and begin holding marathon budget hearings by August and September in anticipation of the long congressional break next year for the three-month campaign season prior to the May 2010 elections.

Zubiri said it is important that both houses have a lengthy discussion on the budget measure, especially with the scheduled election next year.

To save time and accelerate the approval process, he said the Senate finance committee, chaired by Sen. Edgardo Angara, and the House committee on appropriations could conduct simultaneous hearings on the proposed budgets of each department.

"We're looking at hearings to be conducted between August and September. So all the national agencies can go back to the Senate to attend and defend their budget proposals by November or early December, at the latest," Zubiri said.