Palace thanks House for budget nod, mum on session suspension

Malacañang on Tuesday thanked the House of Representatives after it passed on second reading the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 despite a leadership tussle.

“That’s purely an internal matter of the House of Representatives even as we thank the House for their timely passage of the 2021 budget,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a message to reporters.

No less than Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano himself moved to approve the 2021 national spending plan on second reading, even though there were still many departments and agencies whose proposed budgets were up for deliberation.

The House then abruptly suspended its session until November 16, meaning there will be no session on October 14, the date on which the plenary is supposed to formally elect Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco as its speaker according to the "gentlemen's agreement" between him and Cayetano.

President Rodrigo Duterte had appealed to both camps to honor the term-sharing agreement he brokered in July 2019 even as he respected the decision of the majority of House members last week to reject Cayetano’s offer to resign.

The Palace has said Duterte wants the budget bill to be passed before the end of 2020.

Next year’s budget is expected to fund measures aimed at improving the country’s healthcare system, ensuring food security, increasing investments in public and digital infrastructure and helping communities cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. -NB, GMA News