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The economic team will propose to President Rodrigo Duterte to call Congress for a special session so that the proposed P3.757 trillion budget for next year could be passed into law.

In his weekly forum, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno warned that if the government would work under a reenacted budget for the whole of next year, this could slash the target economic growth of 7-8 percent.

"A reenacted budget would reduce disbursements by around P220 billion by 2019," he said.

He cited that based on the latest estimate of the National Economic and Development Authority, "a reenacted budget could have a GDP (gross domestic product) growth impact of -1.1 to -2.3 percent in 2019."

He said this means that GDP growth next year could be between 4.7-5.9 percent, instead of 7 percent.

"Employment will also be reduced by as much as 600,000 jobs in sectors such as construction, public administration and defense, wholesale and retail trade, land transport and education," the Budget chief said.

He also said that 200,000 to 400,000 individuals could be pushed into poverty following the contraction of the budget.

Congress has adjourned its session for this year without passing yet the proposed 2019 budget.

Diokno said the economic team, including him, would ask Duterte to call for a special session of Congress so that the lawmakers could continue their deliberation on the budget.

"We will recommend to the President that he calls for a special session," he said.

Asked of the possibility of Duterte calling for a special session, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, in a press briefing, said, "Well, if that is the recommendation of the economic managers, if it will affect the government’s expenses and services, then the President will be persuaded to grant the recommendation of the economic managers."

Diokno blamed Congress for the delay in the passage of the proposed budget.

"As the Constitution says, the President has 30 days after the SONA (State of the Nation Address) to submit the budget. We have consistently submitted the budget on the day of the SONA. We don't use the 30 day period, so it's Congress who should be blamed for this," he said.

Duterte delivers his third SONA last July.

Asked if he means both the Senate and the House, which should be blamed, Diokno said, "If you talk to the senators, they would say that they have been waiting for the budget for more than a month, talk to them. I have nothing to do with their scheduling."

The Senate and the House are now under the new leadership of Senator Vicente Sotto III and Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, respectively.

Diokno noted that during the first two years of the Duterte administration, Congress, under then Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, was able to pass the General Appropriations Act on time.

Under the Constitution, all appropriation, revenue or tariff bill, bills authorizing increase of the public debt, bills of local application, and private bills shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments.

Meanwhile, Diokno said he was not involved in choosing the contractors for government projects.

He made the statement after Majority Leader Rolando Andaya alleged that the DBM has awarded to a private firm some government contracts even before the passage of the proposed budget for next year.

"We release the money to them (departments), they implement the projects. They choose the contractors etc. That's not our responsibility. We do not talk to the contractors. We talk to the department heads. And so we do not implement projects at this level," he explained.

He also refused to call as "insertion" the P75.5 billion in the proposed budget, particularly for the Department of Public Works and Highways.

"Now, as a response to the alleged anomaly in the DPWH budget, let me also make clear that we only approve their budget according to their proposal. We do not scrutinize line by line because we do not have the technical expertise. We do not examine every project that's listed there...that's the job of DPWH," he said.

Instead of insertion, he said what the DBM did was part of the "last minute adjustments" in order to attain the 5 percent of GDP for infrastructure spending for next year.

Despite the allegation against Diokno on the supposed contractors, Panelo said Duterte has trust on the Budget chief.

"Mr. Diokno is known to be the Mr. No. Meaning, he is a man of integrity. So when he says he’s not involved, I believe him. Unless you show me, as a lawyer, competent evidence to the contrary; the presumption he is a man of competence and integrity," he said. Celerina Monte