LRay Villafuerte has P6-B insertions in 2020 budget, says sacked HRET leader

Stripped of his leadership post in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, Oriental Mindoro Representative Paulino Salvador Leachon claimed that Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte made P6 billion worth of insertions in the 2020 General Appropriations Act.

In a statement, Leachon slammed Villafuerte for choosing not to respond to his challenge to name the 20 lawmakers to whom Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco allegedly talked in his attempt to oust Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano from the helm of the House of Representatives.

Instead, Leachon said Villafuerte and the House leadership chose to strip him of his leadership in HRET.

"It’s quite obvious that he was hit hard and then purposely evaded the issue about his pork barrel insertions of almost P6 billion in the 2020 General Appropriations Act," Leachon said.

GMA News Online has sought Villafuerte's comment but has yet to receive any as of posting time.

Leachon said among the projects funded by Villafuerte's alleged budget insertions include the construction of phase one of the Camarines Sur Iconic Capitol Building and the Capitol Complex Sports and Convention Center in Pili town.

The two projects are worth P750 million in total.

Villafuerte's son, Miguel Luis, is the governor of Camarines Sur.

Leachon said the supposed pork barrel insertions may be the reason why Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab was removed as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, as he "couldn't stand their abuse in the 2020 GAA preparation.

"Very clear in here, they go amuck on a self-created scenario of alleged coup of House leadership to have a reason to dishonor the term-sharing agreement with Cong. Lord Velasco in order to perpetuate their throne so with their protection for self-gain budget insertions for succeeding two years in Congress," he added.

Leachon said he felt "perfectly okay" even when after he was removed from his position.

"I will always be mighty proud of my actions as I was raised and taught that there is never a wrong time doing the right thing," Leachon said.

"They can rob and take away all of our positions especially from PDP-Laban but we’ll never bow down to this masked leadership of tyranny.  As it will be always a nice feeling putting a hard fight for a friend and our cause," he added.

Cayetano earlier urged lawmakers who are part of the supposed ouster plot against him to just resign from their leadership positions and come back once Velasco is the Speaker.

"If you cannot cooperate with the present leadership, umalis muna kayo sa committees niyo, sa chairmanship, bumalik na lang kayo kapag Speaker na si Cong. Velasco," Cayetano said in an interview.

"But habang ako ang Speaker, we do things by consensus, kung ano ang tama yun ang gagawin natin," he added. —NB, GMA News