Rep. Yap to meet with Cayetano on Monday over budget deliberations

House appropriations panel chair Eric Yap is set to meet with Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday to discuss what to do next with the chamber's version of the 2021 General Appropriations Bill, which was approved on second reading last week.

This was after President Rodrigo Duterte called for a special session of Congress from October 13 to 16 “to resume the congressional deliberations on the proposed 2021 national budget and to avoid any further delays on its prompt passage.”

"Bukas magkakaroon kami ng pagpupulong ni Speaker Cayetano kung ano ang aming gagawin, kung itutuloy ba yung second reading, uulitin ba ulit, or magtutuloy na kami sa third reading," Yap said in a Dobol B sa News TV interview on Sunday.

"Yun ang pagdedesisyunan namin bukas at ako ay nag-aantay lang ng guidance ni Speaker Cayetano," he added.

Last week, the House approved on second reading House Bill 7727, or the 2021 General Appropriations Bill, without finishing the scheduled plenary deliberations on the budget anymore.

It suspended its session until November 16 afterwards, even as the congressional recess is originally scheduled to start on Friday this week.

Despite the early approval of the budget bill on second reading, Yap said lawmakers were still able to post questions to various government agencies during the budget briefings at the Committee on Appropriations.

"Noong tayo ay nagkakaroon ng debates sa plenaryo at nung tinigil ito ni Speaker, ang sabi naman kasi ni Speaker ay napakinggan na rin natin at nai-consider na rin natin yung pangangailangan ng mga congressman," he said.

"Kaya nung nag-recess nang maaga, ang ginawa namin, kami ay bumuo ng team bago mag-recess at kami ay patuloy na nakikipag-coordinate. Inaalam namin yung kailangan ng agencies pa, yung mga parochial concerns ng congressman, at yung amendments ng agencies," he added.

Yap believes that with the additional four days that the President gave the House to deliberate on the budget, they will have time to approve the budget bill on third reading.

"Sa totoo lang yung 13 to 16 ay para sa akin kaya na. Kasi kung titignan niyo, nung natigil ang plenary debates, yun ay two days left na lang. So kung two days left na lang, kung ibabalik naman natin ay that's 13, 14, meron pa tayong 15, then meron pa tayong 16," he said.

"Na-certify na as urgent ang budget so pwede tayong magpasa ng second and third reading at the same day," he added.

Several lawmakers last week called for the resumption of the plenary deliberations on the budget, citing the need to further interpellate government agencies on their proposed allocations for next year.

The special session will also coincide with the supposed turnover of the speakership to Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco on October 14, as part of the "gentlemen's agreement" between him and Cayetano. —LBG, GMA News