(Eagle News) – Malacanang called on lawmakers to set aside politics for now and pass first the critical proposed 2021 national budget amid the speakership fight that came to a head Monday noon, Oct. 12.
Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said that President Rodrigo Duterte is so fed up with the politicking at the House of Representatives, using the word “tagam” to describe his feelings, about the speakership fight affecting the passage of the critical COVID-19 budget bill for this year.
“Gusto niyang maipasa muna ang COVID-19 budget. Mukhang hindi siya pinapakinggan,” Roque said noting the “session” then happening outside Batasang Pambansa by lawmakers who voted to “oust” Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, and installing Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco.
Roque said President Duterte issued his statement on Sunday night, appealing to lawmakers to set aside politics, and all talk of Speakership, until after the budget is passed.
“I think it was in anticipation of the political activities that are ongoing today as we speak,” he said.
The Palace press brefing which happened at noon of Monday, Oct. 12, was happening at the same time as the session at the Celebrity Sports Complex where 186 lawmakers voted to declare the position of House Speaker vacant.
Velasco’s allies, during that session, nominated the Marinduque lawmaker to be the next House Speaker. All these were happening as Cayetano was also holding a press briefing through Facebook Live using his personal Facebook account denouncing the session at the Celebrity Sports Plaza as a “fake session.”
-Duterte appeal: Set aside politics-
Roque said that President Duterte has already made his position very clear.
He wants the proposed 2021 national budget to be passed first and foremost.
Lawmakers can then do whatever they want as to who they want to be the next Speaker after the budget is passed, Roque said.
“Isantabi muna ang pulitika. Ipasa muna ang budget,” Roque said expressing what the President wanted.
Asked if the latest development had the President’s imprimatur, Roque said, “Malinaw po ang sinabi ni Presidente. Dala na siya. Isantabi na ang politika. Budget muna.”
Duterte, through Special Proclamation no. 1027, on Friday, called for a special session of Congress from Oct. 13 to 16 to pass the P4.506 trillion national budget, that contained funds critical to the government’s anti-COVID-19 response.
This was after House Speaker Cayetano suspended the House sessions on the budget on Oct. 6, calling for an early break for Congress which originally is set to go on break on Oct. 17.
Cayetano suspended sessions until 3 p.m. of Nov. 16, which Velasco’s allies saw as a move to prevent the Marinduque lawmaker from running for the post on Oct. 14.
Roque said that President Duterte had again made his appeal to lawmakers to set aside politicking and concentrate first on passing the budget on Oct. 13.
But apparently, Roque said, this was not heeded again by lawmakers intent on ousting Cayetano before the special session.
“Let’s just say dala na siya sa pulitika na nangyayari sa Kamara de Representante. He just wants the work to be done. He wants the budget to be passed,” the Palace spokesman said.
“Any talk of speakership will delay the passage of the 2021 budget. Basta ang sabi ng Presidente, ipasa muna ang budget. Anything they do after the budget is the affair of the House of Representatives,” he added.
(Eagle News Service)