Malacañang on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte maintained a hands-off policy in the feud between current House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco over the leadership of the House of Representatives, saying what matters is the passage of the 2021 national budget before the year ends.
"What the President surely said in Visayan is this: I'm done with politics. It's up you, whatever you want to do. May the best man (win) for Speakership after the budget (is passed) in the House, please," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque quoted the President as saying.
Roque said the President is staying out of the power struggle after meeting with both congressmen in the Palace last week.
"The request of the President to our lawmakers who are gathering now is to set aside politics and pass the budget. Any talk of Speakership will delay the passage of the 2021 budget… Anything they do after the budget is the affair of the House of Representatives," he added.
Roque said the President used the Cebuano word “natagam” to express his regret over the leadership tussle at the House. He also said the President only wants the proposed P4.506-trillion budget to be passed on time.
Duterte had brokered a term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco, with the former taking the first 15 months of the 18th Congress and the latter taking the remaining 21 months.
But as the turnover date approached, Cayetano was reluctant to relinquish his position, while Velasco has pressed him to honor their agreement.
Roque added that the President was not taking sides—even though he and Velasco belong to the same party, the PDP-Laban, and even though he had brokered the term-sharing agreement last year.
Supporters of Velasco on Monday noon gathered at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City to oust Cayetano.
At least 186 lawmakers voted to declare the position of House speaker vacant, Velasco supporters said.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said House members should now focus on passing the national budget for next year.
Senator Christopher Go echoed this sentiment.
“My only appeal to my fellow legislators, given the health crisis we are still in now, is to set aside political and partisan differences as well as personal ambitions in favor of national interests and the welfare of our people. Let us work together and pass the 2021 national budget on time,” Go said.
By January 1, Duterte's longtime aide said the approved budget, which is responsive to the needs of the country to fight the pandemic, should be ready.
Meanwhile, the Managers Association of the Philippines (MAP) raised concerns that the impasse in the House would lead to a reenacted budget, which would be bad for the economy.
“This unfortunate situation makes probable the repeat of the impasse between the Senate and the House that attended the 2019 budget,” MAP president Francis Lim said, adding that the reenacted budget then caused “massive damage” to the economy.
The MAP reminded legislators that it usually takes about a month for the budget to take effect after it is transmitted to the President for signature.
“We note with concern the observation of Rep. Stella Quimbo, a respected economist, that a re-enacted budget will exact a huge toll on the government’s coronavirus response and the economy. Needless to emphasize, this will cause further suffering to our people,” he added.
The MAP said the President’s decisive action could curb the people’s suffering.
“We call on our politicians to think of country first and subordinate their personal political interests to the public good. Your duty as public servants demands no less and anything short is an extreme disservice to our people.”