Drilon brushes off House member’s proposed Senate budget cut

MANILA, Philippines – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon refuses to waste time on “inane ideas” from the lower chamber after a member of the House of Representatives sought to slash the proposed Senate budget next year.

“We have so much work here, especially at this time of the year. I don’t want to waste my time on such inane ideas from the House of Representatives. Sayang lang ang panahon ko,” Drilon said Thursday when sought for his comment on the issue.

Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Michael Defensor wanted to reduce Senate’s 2020 budget next year since lawmakers from the upper chamber do not have specific constituencies.

Defensor said this after Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro demanded an apology from Senator Panfilo Lacson for his “pork” claims against members of the House of Representatives.

“Besides from demanding an apology from the Honorable Lacson, would you also advocate taking out a budget from the Senate, no initiative coming from them, since they do not have a constituency anyway?” Defensor asked Castro Wednesday during the interpellation of his privilege speech.

READ: Defensor wants budget cut for Senate after Lacson’s pork allegations 

Congress was allotted P22.8 billion under the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) passed by the House last September 20.

READ: House swiftly OKs P4.1-T nat’l budget for 2020 after only a month of debates 

From this, Senate will get P7.4 billion; the Senate Electoral Tribunal, P0.292 billion; the Commission on Appointments, P0.817 billion; the House of Representatives, P14 billion; and the House Electoral Tribunal, P0.16 billion.  /gsg