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‘DO NOT BLAME US’

Sotto: House decision to suspend session until November may delay 2021 budget


Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday said the suspension of session in the House of Representatives until November 16 may delay the passage of the P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.

"The HOR has just disregarded the request priority of the President to pass the budget. There is no way we can finish the budget if it is not submitted to us before the mandated break after October 14. Do not blame us!" Sotto said in a message.

He added that the move could "most probably" result in a reenacted budget for the next fiscal year.

Senate Finance Committee chairperson Sonny Angara also said the Senate was hoping that the House would transmit its final version of the budget bill before Congress goes on a break next week "as promised" so that the Senate could immediately start the plenary debates upon the resumption of session on November 16.

"As it is, the schedule is very tight. I hope the original schedule could still be followed, but at the end of the day, we can not impose on our House colleagues but only plead and appeal to them," he added.

Asked if he sees a possible reenacted budget, Angara said: "Too early to say but we hope the situation can be remedied."

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, on the other hand, assured the public that the senators will be burning the midnight oil to avoid a reenacted budget.

"The Senate traditionally holds morning to midnight debates for two weeks on the general appropriations act. That will still be observed this year. There will be no reenacted budget but a revamped budget is a certainty," he said in a separate message.

The House on Tuesday approved on second reading the budget bill after Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano moved to terminate the period of debates.

The House also suspended its session until November 16.

The development in the lower chamber came amid the House speakership row between Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco. There will be no session on October 14—the date on which Velsco claims he would take over the House speakership. — RSJ, GMA News

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