HOUSE lawmakers laud Senator Francis Escudero on Wednesday for resigning as chairman of the Senate committee on finance and as co-chairperson of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Public Expenditures.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. urged officials who are planning to seek higher office next year to follow the example of Escudero who resigned from the two Senate finance panels due to "delicadeza."
Escudero, who eyeing to run as vice president in 2016, said he wants to spare the budget deliberation from possible misperception that he might use it to further his own political plans and actions.
The Senate committee on finance is the counterpart of the House committee on appropriations, which will deliberate the proposed 2016 General Appropriations Act, which was submitted to Congress on Wednesday afternoon by the Department of Budget and Management.
"I believe that all public officials should have the delicadeza to resign from their post if they believe and feel that their integrity will be questioned, in case they run and win the election," said House Deputy Majority Floor Leader Sherwin Tugna.
Tugna said public officials should have an unquestionable integrity.
Davao Representative Isidro Ungab, chair of appropriations panel, said Escudero's move was laudable.
"We laud Senator Escudero for considering the immediate passage of the 2016 Budget in his decision to resign from his assigned committee," Ungab said.
Ungab said that he will welcome whoever will be Escudero's replacement.
Deliberations on the P3.002-trillion national budget for 2016 will begin on August 10. (Sunnex)