Sotto on speakership row: Don’t blame Senate if 2021 budget gets delayed

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the ongoing House speakership battle, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Saturday said the Senate must not be blamed if the 2021 national budget is not passed on time.

“As far as the (2021) national budget is concerned, basta ipasa nila on the first week of October, katulad nung dating ginagawa ng Kongreso natin except noong panahon ni GMA (former House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo), dapat by Oct. 1 or first week of October nasa amin na,” Sotto told DWIZ in response to a question about the possible delay in the proposed 2021 budget due to the House speakership dispute between Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

(As far as the (2021) national budget is concerned, as long as they pass it in the first week of October like what Congress had been doing except during the time of GMA, by Oct. 1 or first week of October, the budget bill must be transmitted to us.)

“Wala kaming pakielam kung ano mangyari doon. Basta ibigay nila ng first week of October. Ganoon ang mentality namin. Kapag dinelay nila dahil sa kung anong dahilan, huwag nila kaming sisisihin later on,” he added.

(We don’t care about that. Just give us the budget in the first week of October. That’s our mentality. If it is delayed for whatever reason, don’t blame us later on.)

Sotto made reference to the  2019 national budget which was only signed in April 2019 after Congress was not able to pass the budget bill on time following allegations of budget insertions.

The House of Representatives must first approve the 2021 proposed national budget before it is transmitted to the Senate for approval.

Once approved by the Senate, both chambers will then convene in a bicameral conference committee to reconcile their versions of the budget bill.

After news broke out that Velasco is set to replace Cayetano as  Speaker of the House on Oct. 14, Cayetano offered to resign as Speaker. Cayetano even said: “The fate and the fate of the 2021 budget and the fate of the leadership of the House is in your hands.”

Cayetano’s offer to step down was immediately rejected by House members.

Velasco, meanwhile, criticized Cayetano’s move, accusing the lawmaker of holding the 2021 national budget hostage.

President Rodrigo Duterte brokered the 15-21 term sharing deal between Cayetano and Velasco in 2019. Under the deal, Cayetano will serve as House Speaker in the first 15 months of the 18th Congress while Velasco will succeed him to serve the remaining 21 months.

/MUF