MANILA, Philippines— Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III came to the defense of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who is now being blamed for the misfortunes hounding the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
“Ano lang yun siguro, medyo nasaktan lang sila doon sa pintas siguro ni Senator Drilon tungkol doon sa cauldron,” Sotto told reporters on Tuesday.
(Maybe they got hurt by Senator Drilon’ criticism about the cauldron.)
“Siguro ganun lang yun kaya parang binabalikan nila si Senator Drilon, pero in fairness, it was the idea of Senator Drilon kaya natapos yung tinatawag na impasse nung budget, nung 2019 budget,” he said.
(Maybe that’s just it, that’s why they are hitting back at Senator Drilon but in fairness, it was the idea of Senator Drilon why the so-called impasse in the 2019 budget ended)
Sotto made the remark when asked about some congressmen’s claim that the SEA Games woes now being reported in the media were due to the delay in the approval of the 2019 national budget.
This year’s budget was only approved last April allegedly due to “pork” insertions.
And the Senate, including Drilon, was partly to blame for the budget delay, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero said in separate interviews Monday.
Cayetano and Romero’s allegations came exactly one week after Drilon questioned the P50-million estimated cost for the design and construction of a stadium cauldron for the SEA Games
But Sotto said Drilon should not be blamed for the delay of the 2019 budget.
In fact, he said, the budget impasse would not have been resolve if not for Drilon.
Sotto said it was Drilon who advised him to sign the 2019 General Appropriation Bill and just attach an annotation, rejecting the P75 billion worth of “pork” allegedly inserted by the House of Representatives.
It should be the House that should be blamed for its delay on transmitting the budget bill to the Senate, said the Senate leader.
He said the House was expected to submit the budget bill to the Senate by October 1 last year but only did so on November 24, 2018 or almost two months later.
“Hindi pwedeng sisihin si Senator Drilon sa delay. Sisihin siguro yung pagkakasubmit sa amin nuong November 24,” Sotto said.
(Senator Drilon can’t be blamed for the delay. The blame should be on the submission to us on November 24)
“Pati yung buong Senado hindi pwedeng sisihin. Kaya ang sagot ko nga sa inyo, hindi raw sila ang masisisi? Sabi ko nga, ha?”
(Even the entire Senate could not be blamed. That’s why my response to you was: We can’t blame them? As I said, huh?)
“Baka nakalimutan na nila, o baka wala sila noon doon, kaya sinasabi nila yan. Pero I am talking about the House of Representatives, the Third Regular Session of the 17th Congress,” he added.
(Maybe they just forgot it or maybe there were not there that’s why they are saying that. But I am talking about the House of Representatives, the Third Regular Session of the 17th Congress)