'NADENGGOY TAYO'

Velasco: Duterte felt fooled by Cayetano on speakership row

President Rodrigo Duterte felt fooled when Speaker Alan Cayetano abruptly moved to adjourn the session last Tuesday—a move that extended Cayetano’s Speakership tenure which was supposed to end on October 14 as he agreed upon with the President, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco said Friday.

“[President] Duterte told me that we were both fooled. Kitang-kita ko 'yung galit ng Pangulo. Sabi sa akin ni Pangulo, ‘Lord, hindi lang ikaw ang napahiya rito; tayong dalawa',” Velasco said in an ANC interview.

“Actually, the President used the word ‘nadenggoy.’ Sabi niya ‘Lord, nadenggoy tayong dalawa,” Velasco added.

The October 14 timeline was decided upon last September 29 when the President both met Velasco and Cayetano over how to enforce the 15-21 Speakership term sharing deal inked between Velasco and Cayetano in July 2019.

Cayetano’s move of adjourning the session after a second reading approval of the proposed P4.5 trillion budget was followed by creation of small committees for further deliberation of the budget ahead of the new deadline for passing the budget bill on November 16.

Velasco said such maneuver was not an option based on what were agreed upon during their September 29 meeting with the President.

During the meeting with the President, Velasco said Cayetano suggested that he wanted to step down in December instead of October to shepherd the passage of the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021.

Velasco, however, did not relent.

Per Velasco, Cayetano eventually yielded.

“I suggested October 14 para maayos na yung budget, may recess kami, then during the recess we can fix the affairs of the House. The President looked at Cayetano and said to him, okay na, we will resign on October 14 and you will announce what happened in this meeting,” Velasco said.

President Duterte has called on both parties to resolve the Speakership row with the passage of the proposed P4.5 trilion national budget for 2021—the first national budget amid the COVID-19 pandemic—on the line. -NB, GMA News