Nograles dismisses claims he would be ousted as House budget chief

Davao City 1st District Rep. Karlo Nograles on Monday dismissed the claims of several lawmakers that he would be kicked out as chair of the powerful House appropriations panel.

In a statement, Nograles said Minority Leader Danilo Suarez “cannot speak for the majority coalition, and has in fact already withdrawn his previous statement.”

Earlier in the day, Suarez told some reporters that Nograles would be removed from his post. But at around 1:20 p.m. he said the “status quo” remains or nothing would change in the committee chairmanship.

READ: Nograles to be ousted as House budget chief, sources say

Nograles said if anybody wants to oust him as the chair of the committee “then they can have the position.”

However, he said: “They cannot be allowed to make the President break his promise to our people, and they cannot be allowed to deprive millions of Filipinos in so many provinces nationwide of the programs and projects that our kababayans and my fellow probinsyanos need, by tinkering with the budget.”

“This budget is for the needs of our people,” he continued. /ee