By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

EXPRESING impatience with the Legislature’s long-delayed action on the administration’s revised budget proposal, Gov. Felix P. Camacho called on senators yesterday to either pass or reject Bill 74 “once and for all.”
Camacho noted that the senators have been working on the revised budget bill for eight weeks now, but “it’s hard to tell where they are at right now.”
The lawmakers went back into session yesterday to continue thrashing out the new set of amendments introduced by Vice Speaker Eddie B. Calvo, R-Maite. The amendments, requested by the governor, seek to revise the funding cuts for all departments and agencies from 2.5 percent to 1 percent.
“It’s time for them to bring (the budget process) to closure. They have to decide once and for all whether to approve or disapprove the budget bill,” Camacho told reporters in an interview after Supreme Court Chief Justice F. Phillip Carbullido delivered his State of the Judiciary Address.
While acknowledging the difficult task of balancing the budget, the governor noted that his administration has offered the Legislature several recommendations and alternatives.
“But they rejected our recommendations and countered them with their own amendments,” the governor said.
The administration originally proposed a 2.5 percent funding cut for all departments and agencies, and the governor was not pleased with the Legislature’s decision to reinstate the original appropriations for many agencies.
Camacho said Bill 74 has acquired a new form far different from what the administration originally proposed. “It’s now their own budget. The process is fully in (the senators’) hands and they are responsible for it,” he said.
Party leaders continued to clash yesterday as Calvo lashed back at acting Minority Leader Rory Respicio, D-Agana Heights, for playing “a political game.”
“Either he has a different concept of reality or he is being hypocritical and dishonest,” Calvo said, smarting from Respicio’s earlier comments that the vice speaker wasn’t doing his job as chairman of the finance and budget committee.
After considering tax break reductions, a tax amnesty and fee increases proposed by the administration, the Legislature on Monday adopted the revised revenue projection for fiscal year 2007 at $468.8 million and raised the spending level to $489.7 million.
As for the amendments to revise the funding cuts to 1 percent, Calvo explained that the new reduction rate was computed based on the new revenues that the administration hopes to raise.
Respicio maintains that the new figures still won’t sum up to a balanced budget.
But Calvo noted that Respicio has fully participated in the budget process and supported several amendments for restoration of funding levels for certain agencies.
“Every motion that restores funding results in the breach of spending limits. If Senator Respicio was so concerned about increased spending level, why has he been supporting every amendment for funding restoration in the past two days?” Calvo asked.
“Either he is being hypocritical or he can’t do his math right. He has been making comments and engaging in political battles, but when it comes to solutions, he has nothing to offer,” he added.
Calvo assured the public that the budget process was close to being completed. “We’re done with the revenue side of the bill; we’re just working on the appropriation side,” he said.