2 solons attacking Drilon because of SEA Games cauldron – Sotto

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)