House open to cutting standby fund but caution needed, lawmaker says

THE House of Representatives is open to cutting unprogrammed appropriations, a lawmaker said on Monday, but warned that some projects still require standby funding despite calls for proposed reductions.

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In a media briefing, Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing said she is “very open” to discussions on reducing allocations for unprogrammed appropriations, adding that the House is not firmly opposed to revisiting standby funding once the budget bill enters bicameral conference deliberations.

But she emphasized the need to preserve standby allocations for foreign-assisted projects and the military’s modernization program, saying that abrupt cuts to their spending could jeopardize the programs that rely on flexible funds.

“I'm very open to discussing with the Senate how we can potentially rationalize the contents of unprogrammed appropriations,” said Ms. Suansing, who heads the House Appropriations Committee. “But as you can see, there are other programs that really need to be retained.”

“The House is not closed to the possibility that the entire P243-billion [unprogrammed] allocation may not be retained.”