By Fel V. Maragay

Amid apprehensions that the government will run on a reenacted budget for an indefinite period, lawmakers said yesterday that Congress will be able to approve the Pl.4-trillion national budget for fiscal year 2009 upon resuming its regular session on Jan. l9.

Senator Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, reported yesterday that the bicameral conference committee has already reconciled 90 percent of the conflicting provisions between the Senate and House versions of the budget measure after three meetings.

The Senate-House panel, according to Angara, will hold one or two more meetings this week to finalize the new budget.

?I see no big problem that will prevent us from wrapping up our deliberations and coming up with a consolidated budget bill,? he told Standard Today over the phone.

Senator Richard Gordon said after its job on the 2009 national budget is completed, Congress will expeditiously approve the Pll- billion supplemental budget endorsed by Malaca?ang and the Budget Department for the automation of the 2010 elections upon the recommendation of the Commission on Elections.

?Malaca?ang and the Comelec have done their part in the submission of the budget proposal. Now, it is Congress? turn to act with dispatch on the supplemental budget for the 2010 automated elections,? said Gordon, principal author of the Automated Elections Law.

The Senate made several revisions in the general appropriations bill that had earlier been passed by the House of Representatives. It slashed the funding allocations of 90 government agencies but augmented the budgets of l40 others. But it made no changes in the budgets of l45 other agencies.

The House reduced the P300-billion debt service-interest payments by Pl4.5 billion but the Senate pared it down by Pl0 billion more.

Angara said the cuts in the appropriations for debt service and other lump sums, as well as budgets of several agencies, would go to a P50-billion economic stimulus fund.

The economic stimulus fund will be used to boost spending for education and training, health, environment and infrastructure. The objective is to pump-prime the economy and create more jobs as part of the measures to mitigate the impact of the global economic storm.

The Senate inserted special provisions that will provide safeguards against the misuse of lump sum appropriations or those that are not itemized.

Angara reported that one of the major points of agreement among panel members was the Senate?s proposal to create a congressional oversight committee that will receive periodic reports on all disbursements made by the executive branch.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who was finance committee chairman before the chamber?s leadership revamp last November, said he would see to it that the bicameral panel will adopt his proposal for a special provision that will make the effectivity of the new budget retroactive to Jan. l, 2009.