(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed four provisions of the General Appropriations Act.
In a copy of his message to Congress, the President vetoed Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Special Provision No. 2, which allows other executive offices of the agency to receive monitoring expenses.
According to Duterte, the salary standardization law and its implementing rules already provide that board members are “authorized to receive honoraria or per diems in the performance of their official functions.”
“Other necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of monitoring and evaluation by the MTRCB may be allowed, subject to budgeting, accounting, and auditing laws, rules and regulations,” Duterte said.
Apart from the MTRCB special provision, Duterte vetoed General Provisions, Section 87, “Collection of Fees in Relation to the Retention or Reacquisition of Philippine Citizenship,” Volume I-B, page 637; Special Provision No. 14 of the Department of Education-Office of the Secretary; Special Provision No. 1 of the Energy Regulatory Commission or the “Use of Income,” Volume I-B, page 225; and the“Use of School Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses for Payment of Items That May Be Classified as Capital Outlay,” Volume I-A, page 189.
“By constitutional fiat, specifically Section 25 (2), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, provisions embraced in this Budget which do not relate to some particular appropriation and are introduced herein with the purpose of amending existing laws and rules have no place in the general appropriations bill. These ‘rider’ provisions must accordingly be subject to direct veto,” he said.
