Palace says House leadership fight ‘over’, urges passage of 2021 budget

Published October 01, 2020 06:25 PM By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News

Malacañang on Thursday said the battle for the leadership of the House of Representatives is “over” following the decision of the majority of its members to reject the resignation of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

Cayetano has retained the speakership amid the deliberations on the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021, which the government will use to support measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following this development, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque urged lawmakers to pass the national spending plan at the soonest possible time.

“Well, tingin ko tapos na naman po iyong controversy,” Roque said at a news conference in Bataan.

“In fairness to all of them, they seem to have settled the issue of leadership dahil importante nga na mapasa iyong pandemic budget ng ating bayan.”

The House is targeting to finish its budget deliberations by October 14, before Congress goes on a month-long break.

Cayetano offered to resign

on Wednesday supposedly to make way for his rival, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco, with whom he had agreed to share his term as Speaker.

This came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to both camps to honor the term-sharing agreement he brokered last year.

“Pero kahapon, ang sinabi na nga niya ay with everything that has happened in the House, he [Duterte] accepts the decision of the lawmakers – to reject the resignation of Speaker Cayetano,” Roque said.

“He has left the decision on the House leadership to the individual members of the House of Representatives.”

Velasco had said Cayetano promised President Duterte that he would resign from his post on October 14 as part of a term-sharing deal—AOL, GMA News

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