Some congressmen are claiming that the proposed 2021 budget has been railroaded following its passage on Tuesday’s second reading.
Bayan Muna Party-list has disclosed that the budget deliberation of remaining agencies such as DepEd, DOH, DOTr, and DAR was sacrificed due to the speakership squabble between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.
Velasco likewise says they “highly denounce the unilateral acts” of Cayetano and his allies “that led to the hurried approval of the 2021 national budget without going through the budget process as stipulated in the Constitution and the suspension of the plenary session until November 16, 2020”.
“The foregoing acts manifest Speaker Cayetano’s extreme desire to hold on and hang on to power in clear defiance of President Duterte’s desire for the passage of fair and equitable budget that serves nothing but the interest of the Filipino people,” Velasco adds.
Rep. Lito Atienza also claims that he was muted while expressing objection to the process.
The session is set to be suspended next week and the 2021 budget deliberation in the plenary is supposed to take place until Friday.
The motion of Cayetano which was carried out through voice voting led to the approval of the budget on second reading. Cayetano has responded that he will prove to Velasco that he is “not hostaging the budget.”
Cayetano has detailed that the nominal voting on the third reading of the budget will take place on November 16. This will be followed by debates and voting at the Senate and an evaluation at the bicameral conference committee.
The plenary session has already been suspended until November 16, dimming the possibility of the term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco which has been agreed to take place on October 14.
Meanwhile, a reshuffling has taken place in the house chairmanships with Rep. Lucille Nava replacing Committee on Health Chairperson Angelina Tan, Rep. Ted Haresco Jr. replacing Committee on economic Affairs Chairperson Rep. Sharon Garin, and Rep. Yul Servo Nieto replacing Committee on Youth and Sports Chairperson Rep. Eric Martinez. – Report from Daniel Manalastas
