DPWH budget caused Cayetano’s ‘downfall’ —solon

Cebu City Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa pointed to the supposedly inequitable distribution of infrastructure funds for legislative districts in the DPWH's proposed 2021 budget as the cause of former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano's "downfall."

Abellanosa made the remark on Wednesday as he urged the Department of Public Works and Highways to "rectify" these allocations.

In his interpellation during the House plenary deliberations on the proposed budget of the DPWH for 2021, Abellanosa showed a video of massive flooding in Cebu City—which, he said, would only receive a measly P500 million for its infrastructure projects for next year.

On the other hand, Taguig City and Camarines Sur, where the districts of Cayetano and former Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte are located, were supposedly allocated P8 billion and P11 billion respectively in the proposed budget.

"Let us not also forget that it is because of the budget of DPWH that caused the downfall of the former Speaker and the issues surrounding the close associates and allies of the former Speaker," Abellanosa said.

"Despite our submission of sufficient proposals in order to address what we have just seen, the serious flooding problems [are] perennially hounding the city of Cebu," he added.

Adding insult to the injury, Abellanosa said, the budget for the capitol building and sports complex of Camarines Sur, supposedly totaling P750 million, is bigger than the entire infrastructure funding allocated to Cebu City.

"As the representative of the second district of Cebu City, I vehemently protest. This is a big insult and an utter affront not just to the City of Cebu but most importantly to the people of the City of Cebu," he said.

Abellanosa warned DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to act on his concern, or he could suffer the same fate as Cayetano.

"If the issue of the inequitable, unequal, unfair allocation of the DPWH budget has caused the downfall of the former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, for all we know, this might become also the cause of the political downfall—hope it won't—of our very good friend, Secretary Mark Villar," he said.

"So may I just remind DPWH, it is your primary duty to help ensure that public infrastructures are necessary in national productivity. And it should be made sure that these are in place, well-maintained and in tip-top shape all the time," he added.

It was Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. who brought up the alleged fund inequities in the proposed DPWH budget. In response. Villafuerte said that out of the supposed P11 billion infrastructure funding for his province, only P3.3 billion is actually allocated for his district.

Cayetano has likewise denied the claim that "60%" of the budget of Metro Manila would go to Taguig City.

Cayetano announced his resignation from the speakership on Tuesday, after the House had already ratified Velasco's election of Velasco, while Villafuerte was removed from the deputy speaker post on Wednesday. — BM, GMA News