Heated argument mars House deliberations on ARMM budget

House of Representatives AP File Photo

MANILA—On the last day of budget deliberations at the House of Representatives, things got heated between two congressmen after one of them was kept from scrutinizing the allocation for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

ABAKADA Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz and Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte were seen still arguing early Friday, shortly after the chamber terminated deliberations on the ARMM budget for next year.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio had a colorful account of the incident, but did not name names, in his tweet: “2 representatives grappled with each other (literally) and nearly came to blows on the floor at the start of the last day of budget deliberation.”

But Dela Cruz later downplayed the incident, saying Tinio’s version was “too dramatic.”

“My voice just got loud because I was very concerned about what could be done,” said Dela Cruz, who insisted that he had registered for the interpellation as early as 1 a.m.

But Belmonte, who was among the floor leaders, supposedly told him in Filipino: “Why, are you calling me a liar? I was the only one here this morning. I was the earliest to arrive.”

“Perhaps, he was just cranky because they were rushing to finish the budget,” Dela Cruz told reporters.

Belmonte was seen pressing on the table while Dela Cruz was standing at the other end. But Dela Cruz said his colleague was merely asking him to sit down so they could settle the matter.

Dela Cruz said he wanted to quiz the ARMM budget proponents on why the region was described as a “failed experiment” in light of the ongoing peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

“So why are we giving money to a failed experiment? Why are we funding a failed experiment? That is the issue,” said Dela Cruz, who was poised to ask that deliberations on the ARMM budget be reopened.