THE House committee on appropriations yesterday rejected the inclusion of the Executive department’s P18.3-billion budget for unfilled positions in the special provision that would restore the P4.971-billion funds for the unfilled positions in the judiciary, Congress and other constitutional offices provided it will be utilized for the said purpose or be kept by the national treasury.

Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya Jr., chairman of the panel, made this statement as the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote the 2012 P1.816-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on third and final reading either tomorrow or Wednesday as Congress goes on Halloween recess this week.

Abaya, head of the small committee finalizing the version of next year’s national budget, stressed there is no need to include the Executive department’s budget for unfilled positions under the P101-billion Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Funds (MPBF) because Malacañang, through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), has been strictly exercising transparency.