Cayetano blames Senate's delayed budget approval for SEA Games woes

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano agrees that the issues hounding the Philippines’ staging of the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) could have been avoided had the Senate approved the budget for the sports event.

Cayetano was reacting to the statement of Deputy Speaker Michael Romero, who blamed Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon for the delayed budget approval.

Speaking before military officers on Monday, Cayetano said Romero was right in pointing out that Drilon was partly to blame for the SEA Games mess.

“It was Senator Drilon who moved the budget of the SEA Games to the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) and it was Senator Drilon who proposed cutting it by 33% only a few months before [to] P2.5 million pero siya ang nagli-lead ng criticism, he said.

“Siyempre nandoon ako sa Senate, alangan namang magbastusan kami. So nakukuwento ko lang yan in context that we need better communication,” he added.

FULL COVERAGE: 30th Southeast Asian Games on GMA News Online

Drilon has already said he should not be blamed for the delay in the approval of the budget for the SEA Games, as Romero claimed. He said the delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget was caused by “unconstitutional insertions blatantly made by the House of Representatives in the budget to the tune of P95.3 billion worth of pork barrel funds.”

Drilon said it was actually him who proposed a solution to address the budget impasse.

“To refresh Mr. Romero’s memory, had it not been for the solution or compromise that I proposed, which enabled Senate President Vicente Sotto to sign and send the 2019 budget to Malacañang, we would not have resolved the 2019 budget impasse and we would have continued on a reenacted budget,” the opposition lawmaker said.

“Had it not been for my efforts, certain quarters in the administration would have pushed through with recommending to the President the veto of the entire 2019 budget,” Drilon added.

Cayetano earlier visited the teams of Singapore, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Brunei who experienced transportation, accommodation and other logistical issues even before the formal opening of the SEA Games to personally apologize to them. —KBK, GMA News