Business reminds politicians: Country over personal interests

The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Sunday called on politicians to prioritize the needs of the country over personal political interests, as the 2021 budget is yet to be approved with the session of House of Representatives suspended.

"We call on our politicians to think of country first and subordinate their personal political interests to the public good. Your duty as public servants demands no less and anything short is an extreme disservice to our people," MAP president Francis Lim said in a statement sent via mobile message.

The statement comes after President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday called for a special session of Congress to ensure the timely passage of the 2021 national budget.

"In this light, we laud and profusely thank the President for calling a special session of Congress on October 13-16 and certifying as urgent the 2021 budget," said Lim.

"His decisive action will stem further suffering of our people, who deserve utmost help from our public servants at this critical time," he added.

MAP earlier expressed concerns over the possibility of a delayed budget and its economic impact, following the suspension of session at the House of Representatives.

On September 30, the House suspended budget deliberations shortly after incumbent Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano offered his resignation, a move immediately rejected by his colleagues.

To recall, Cayetano entered in a "gentleman's agreement" on term-sharing with Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco, with the former to hold the post of Speaker for the first 15 months, and the latter to take the seat for the next 21 months.

However, Cayetano said it was unlikely that Velasco would be elected as Speaker, and might only be ousted after a week if Cayetano steps down.

Both Velasco and Cayetano welcomed Duterte's call for a special session for the 2021 budget deliberations. — BM, GMA News