MARINDUQUE Representative Lord Allan Velasco called out House of Representatives Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for allegedly holding the 2021 budget bill hostage through his “political maneuverings and theatrics”.
In a statement issued late Wednesday night, September 30, 2020, Velasco said deliberations on the budget bill was suspended for the day.
There will also be no deliberations Thursday, October 1, as Cayetano has allegedly declared that no session will be conducted,
“Instead of focusing on the work at hand, further political maneuverings and theatrics took the budget deliberations hostage. We lost an entire day, and even tomorrow where you have declared that no session will be conducted, which are crucial in meeting our timeline,” Velasco said.
“These attacks and distractions serve no purpose other than to perpetuate what is a purely personal agenda threatening to delay the passage of the budget. This is the truth,” he added.
Velasco issued the statement several hours after Cayetano delivered a privilege speech during the plenary session Wednesday to lambast Velasco for allegedly spreading fake news after their meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte Tuesday evening, September 29.
Cayetano confirmed, however, the reports apparently coming from Velasco’s camp that he agreed Tuesday to step down as House Speaker on October 14, 2020 to honor the term-sharing deal he forged with Velasco in July 2019.
In his statement, Velasco reminded Cayetano of the promise he made during their meeting with the President Tuesday evening.
“October 14 was chosen as the date for the turnover because we committed to pass the budget before October 14 and do nothing else that would disrupt or derail the process,” Velasco said.
“Thank you for confirming this in your September 30 privilege speech and for sharing with the body that this is what we discussed during our meeting with the President — that you will resign on October 14 and that you will announce this yourself as a gentleman,” he addressed Cayetano.
Velasco called on other members of the House to continue working on the budget bill and pass this on or before October 14.
“This is the commitment we’ve made before the President, and this is our responsibility to our constituents, to deliver to them a fair and equitable budget,” he said.
“I assure my peers that we will be a gracious leader who would listen and be responsive to your concerns. But I make an earnest plea: Let us uphold the dignity of the House of Representatives by being men and women who believe in “Palabra de Honor” in keeping our word and upholding the term-sharing agreement Speaker Cayetano and I swore to honor and respect,” he added.
The heated race for speakership between Velasco and Cayetano, both members of the ruling PDP-Laban, began even before the 18th Congress opened in July 2019.
To resolve the conflict, President Rodrigo Duterte intervened and brokered a term-sharing agreement in July 2019.
Under the agreement, Cayetano will serve as Speaker for the first 15 months until September 30, 2020 while Velasco will lead the House for the remaining 21 months of the 18th Congress. (Marites Villamor-Ilano/SunStar Philippines)