By Prince Golez
President Rodrigo Duterte will understand if Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano decides to hold to the House speakership post until December, Malacañang said.
This, according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, will ensure the timely approval of the proposed national budget for 2021.
It can be recalled that Duterte brokered a term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco last year, with Cayetano serving from July 2019 to October 2020, then Velasco serving until 2022.
“Kung magkagulo naman po sana ay after the budget. Sa original agreement naman, si Speaker Cayetano should be there until October. But the President also in that same occasion told me na naiintindihan niya kung kinakailangang hanggang Disyembre siguro dahil nga doon sa issue ng budget,” Roque said in an interview with the CNN Philippines Wednesday.
“Kasi iyang budget na iyan, maski matapos po iyan na mapasa ng Mababang Kapulungan at napunta sa Kongreso, pagdating sa bicam diyan, puwedeng baguhin iyan ng mga bagong miyembro ng bicam representing the House which could further delay the budget,” he also said.
Roque, however, said it still depends on the House of Representatives to decide on its leadership.
“The President leaves to the members of the House to choose their leaders, acknowledging that there was a gentleman’s agreement between Congressmen Cayetano and Velasco which should be binding on both of them,” he said.
“But whatever the decision of the members of the House would be, non-negotiable po na kinakailangang mapasa iyong budget on time because the budget contains 2.5 trillion of stimulus package which we badly [need] at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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