SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday said that the budget briefing of the Office of the Vice President and several agencies scheduled today, Monday, has been cancelled because the heads of the agencies are “not available.”
Gatchalian, in an interview with radio dzBB, clarified that the cancellation of budget briefings is “not unusual” since the Committee on Finance, which he chairs, would want the heads of agencies to personally defend their requested budgets for the calendar year.
He said that the OVP and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have sent letters, while the Department of Finance and the Department of Energy have sent him text messages that their heads of agencies will not be available to defend their budgets.
“There are instances when the head of agency is not available; that’s why we have to adjust the schedules. The head of the agency must present the budget. That has been the tradition of both houses of Congress,” he said.
Gatchalian said there is no schedule yet for the OVP budget briefing in the Senate.
Last Friday, the House cancelled budget deliberations on the OVP budget since VP Sara Duterte was not available.
Gatchalian said there was no reason stated in the OVP letter as to why Duterte cannot make it today.
“But based on our conversation, VP Sara will go to the Senate to present her [office’s] budget. We will just have to find the right schedule,” he added.
Gatchalian said it is important that the head of the agency be physically present during budget briefings so he or she can explain to lawmakers how the office intends to spend the budget.
