MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte “understands” if House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano would stay until December to prevent delays in the passage of the proposed 2021 budget, Malacañang said Wednesday.
Despite the term-sharing deal between Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said it would make sense for the former to stay if it would guarantee that the budget gets passed before the year ends.
“The President also in that same occasion told me na naiintindihan niya kung kinakailangang hanggang Disyembre siguro ‘no dahil nga doon sa issue ng budget (that he understands if he would need to be there until December because of the issue on the budget),” he said in an interview over CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Roque expressed hope that the House leadership row would not derail the proposed budget which contains the PHP2.5-trillion stimulus package needed to respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Well, kung magkagulo naman po sana ay (Well, in case of infighting, I hope it’s) after the budget,” he said.
According to Roque, the timely passage of the budget is “non-negotiable”.
“Now more than ever, the President is not willing to negotiate on the fact that the budget should be passed on time by December,” he said.
Under the term-sharing deal brokered by Duterte, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months, or until October 2020 while Velasco would take over and assume the position for the remaining 21 months or until the 18th Congress ends in 2022.
Roque said Duterte would leave it to members of the House of Representatives to decide on whether to keep Cayetano or replace him with Velasco.
“He (Duterte) is not dictating on members of Congress and he knows that by now, after a year and a half, the members of the House would be in a better position to choose whoever they want to,” he said.
Roque pointed out that while the “gentleman’s agreement” binds Duterte’s two allies, it might not be the same for members of the House.
“The President recognized that whereas the agreement is valid on the two congressmen, Speaker Cayetano and Congressman Velasco, it does not necessarily bind the 300 or so members of Congress,” he said.
Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, on Tuesday, said the supermajority of congressmen wants Cayetano to continue instead of letting Velasco take over.
Villafuerte believes that Velasco will not be able to put up a good fight against Cayetano since he was “never really active in Congress”.
Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said Cayetano should just continue as leader of the House throughout the 18th Congress.
He said that if the term-sharing pact pushes through, it would be difficult for the new Speaker to properly lead the House since it will be the filing of certificates of candidacy in 2021.