Duterte to Cayetano, Velasco: Resolve impasse, pass 2021 budget or else

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night warned Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco to resolve the leadership row in the House of Representatives and make sure the P4.5-trillion national budget is passed on time.

Duterte addressed the country after the speakership fight between Cayetano and Velasco threatened the passage on time of the general appropriations bill.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the budget on second reading even with issued still pending in the plenary.

The Cayetano-led chamber then suspended its session until November 16 leaving the final reading approval hanging.

"Either you resolve the issue sa impasse ninyo diyan and pass the budget legally and constitutionally. 'Pag hindi ninyo ginawa, ako ang gagawa para sa inyo," Duterte said.

"Hindi ako nananakot, wala akong ambisyon manakot, wala rin akong ambisyon na tatagal dito sa puwestong p-- inang 'to na puro problema," he added.

Duterte made the remarks even after Cayetano indicated that there was enough time to pass the budget despite the early break taken by the House.

The suspension of the House session made impossible the expected turnover of the leadership to Velasco from Cayetano on October 14.

The "15-21" solution hatched by Cayetano and Velasco in the presence of Duterte in 2019 had the incumbent speaker serving at the helm for 15 months and Velasco leading the 18th Congress thr rest of the way or for 21 months.  

Camps of both Cayetano and Velasco have accused each other of reneging on the agreement.

Cayetano claimed that the agreement had him staying on as speaker for two birthdays in October and to pass two national budgets. 

Velasco said he should have already been speaker by the end of September.

"Either we have the positive development na maligayahan yung tao, yung amo natin. Yung amo natin, palaging nasa huli yan… mamamatay na muna  yan, mabubuhay yan, medisina lang," Duterte said.

"We always forget that there is something more higher than just delaying or maneuvering in Congress because everybody wants to be Speaker," he added.

Duterte said Filipinos could not afford to have a delayed budget for 2021 because of its provisions for COVID-19 response and relief.

He also urged lawmakers not to drag him into the speakership mess.

“Huwag ninyo ako idamay sa away ninyo, tapos in the future, people will be asking what happened to the administration of Duterte,” Duterte said.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson have raised the possibility of a reenacted 2020 budget after the House suspended its session until November 16 without passing the budget on third and final reading.

Sought for comment on Duterte's remarks, Sotto said, " Well said. I hope the people he was pertaining to, will get the message."

Senator Sonny Angara, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said, "I think his remarks speak for themselves and he wants progress on the budget deliberations."

Cayetano on Thursday night apologized to Duterte and to the public for "adding anxiety to an already uncertain situation" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cayetano assured Duterte that the budget would be passed on time despite the leadership.

"We welcome the President’s stern warning to all parties to stop all the politicking as it could jeopardize the welfare of our fellow citizens at this critical time," Cayetano said.

"In this, we are not evading any responsibility for our own actions, and would in fact like to sincerely apologize again to the President and the whole nation for adding anxiety to an already uncertain situation," he added.

Prior to Duterte's address, Velasco on joined the call of lawmakers from both the Senate and the House  to resume the plenary deliberations on the 2021 national budget at the lower house.

He said suspension of the House session "imperiled the enactment of vital measures, particularly the 2021 budget—the single most important piece of legislation that we pass every year."

"The premature termination of budget deliberations has signaled the alarm bells from the halls of Congress to the Senate, from the nation’s economic managers to the business community," Velasco said. -NB, GMA News