SHORTLY after the House of Representatives approved moves by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to terminate plenary debates of the 2021 budget bill and suspend session until November 15, 2020, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco denounced his rival for his alleged "desperate attempt to stay in power".
In a statement Tuesday evening, October 6, 2020, Velasco said "Cayetano and his minions deserve collective condemnation by the collegial body and should be held accountable" for terminating the debates and suspending session nearly two weeks ahead of the approved legislative calendar.
Velasco issued the statement as leader in the House of the ruling PDP-Laban, which comprises the biggest bloc of the super majority coalition in Congress.
He said Cayetano railroaded the legislative process when he moved to terminate the deliberations on House Bill No. 7727, or the General Appropriations Bill for 2021, without giving ample time to members of he House to scrutinize the budget of each government agency.
He said the budget bill was approved on second reading "without going through the required budget procedure - sponsorship, debate, amendments - and crucial discussion with government agencies."
"The railroading is contrary to the Speaker's commitment for a national spending package that is open, transparent and meaningful and beneficial for the Filipino people," he said.
With the termination of the plenary debates, the House is supposed to hold a period of amendments.
Committee and individual amendments will now be handled by a committee led by Majority Leader Martin Romualdez. The committee will accept proposed amendments until November 5, 2020.
Velasco also hit Cayetano for "employing a flawed procedure to alter the approved calendar of Congress."
"Haphazard declaration of the suspension of session that contradicts and violates the provisions of the Constitution on the inter-parliamentary courtesy, as Congress is composed of two chambers, where suspension of that long period of time must be with consent of the Senate of the Philippines in accordance with Section 16, Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution," Velasco said.
Under the approved legislative calendar, the House is supposed to suspend session on October 17 yet and take a break until November 15. Session is scheduled to resume on November 16.
The suspension of session ahead of the legislative calendar will prevent the Velasco camp from making a move on the speakership.
Cayetano confirmed earlier that he agreed to step down on October 14 to honor a term-sharing agreement with Velasco.
He insisted that President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Velasco to put off the transition until December 2020, after the budget bill is passed.
Velasco said Cayetano's moves indicate his "extreme desire to hold on and hang on to power in clear defiance of President Duterte's desire for the passage of fair and equitable budget".
"Because of Speaker Cayetano's desperate attempt to stay in power, he has bastardized the institution we swore to protect and respect and committed serious violations of the Constitution to save himself," Velasco added. (Marites Villamor-Ilano/SunStar Philippines)