Reenacted budget for 2022 unlikely despite Duterte spat with senators — Palace

MANILA, Philippines — A reenacted budget for 2022 may be unlikely even though President Rodrigo Duterte is at odds with senators, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the remark after Duterte dared senators to cut the budget of agencies under the executive department, or even give the Office of the President a zero budget, noting that at the end of the day, everything would still be up for his approval.

“I don’t think so,” Roque said when asked during a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum whether there’s a possibility of a reenacted budget in 2022.

“Let’s talk about brass politics: it’s not to the welfare of reelectionist congressmen and senators to have a reenacted budget,” he added.

Roque said lawmakers have “personal stakes” in the 2022 budget, given that it’s an election year.

“They will have to pass it because they need all the resources that they can get for the elections,” he added.

The Palace official also pointed out that lawmakers cannot take adverse public opinion if they resort to politicking since the country is still in the throes of a pandemic.

“We are relying on the budget for next year also to deal with the ongoing pandemic and if they are not able to pass it on time that fully will lie on Congress and not on the President. I think they will do everything to pass it,” he added.

In his public address aired on early morning Wednesday, Duterte claimed that senators have threatened to slash the budget of departments of respective Cabinet secretaries due to their absence in the Senate investigations.

Nobody among senators have publicly made such claims, however.

Duterte also issued a memorandum forbidding his Cabinet officials from attending the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the purchase of alleged overpriced medical supplies from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

EDV