Velasco backs Duterte's call for special session

Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco on Friday welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte's call for a special session in Congress next week which will end the premature recess in the Lower House.

"I fully support President Duterte’s call to resume plenary discussions in Congress from October 13 to October 16 to take up the proposed national expenditure plan for 2021 and to ensure its passage without delay in accordance with the Constitution and existing laws," Velasco said in a statement.

The congressman said this is what the majority of the House members have been suggesting to House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and his "small group of loyalists" after the budget debates in plenary have been "unceremoniously" terminated.

"President Duterte’s marching orders to Speaker Cayetano is clear: reopen Congress to its members. This also means securing a safe and secure plenary hall in accordance with the health protocols set out by the IATF and the Department of Health," Velasco said.

"The attendance of all lawmakers will enable them to meaningfully participate in the entire budget process and preparation, just like what the President wants, and not just to a small committee of hand-picked friends," he added.

Velasco and Cayetano, both allies of the President, are quarreling over the speakership. The former is a party-mate of Duterte in the PDP-Laban while the latter is his running mate in the 2016 elections.

The two entered a gentleman's agreement in 2019 for term-sharing but everything went blurry as Cayetano's leadership neared its scheduled end at 15 months.

Velasco insisted that Cayetano should hand him the speakership on October 14 but the early suspension of session in the House closed any chance of a formal turnover of power.

Cayetano, who had repeatedly said the House will pass the budget on the resumption of session on November 16, also accepted Duterte's call for a special session next week for the budget deliberations.

Duterte made such an order despite the fact that Congress is technically on session until October 16.—LDF, GMA News