HOUSE of Representatives Appropriations Committee chairman, Rep. Eric Go Yap (ACT-CIS Partylist) last week announced the passage on first reading of HB 7727, which is the 2021 national budget totaling P4.5 trillion.
But while thanking his colleagues and the House leadership headed by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Majority Floor Leader Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (Leyte) for the record-time, 15-days it only took the committee to pass the bill, Yap also appealed to his colleagues for their “cooperation, unity and professionalism.”
“This is the people’s budget and it is our obligation to make sure that the National Budget will not only be passed on time, but ultimately, it will respond to the growing needs of our countrymen.
“More work needs to be done and it is my hope that the entire budget process will not delayed by whatever issue that the Congress may face in the coming days,” Yap said in a statement.
Passing the annual national budget is the principal task of both chambers of Congress if the government is to execute its projects and programs on time.
However, the work is at risk of being derailed after the issue of the ‘term sharing’ between Speaker Alan Cayetano and Marinduque representative, Lord Allan Velasco suddenly cropped up.
Under the deal, Cayetano would have to turn over the speakership to Velasco not later than next month or after 15 months dating from his assumption of the post when Congress opened last year.
Velasco would then become the leader of the chamber in the next 21 months or after the 2022 elections.
Last week, the issue nearly erupted into a full “coup” against Cayetano when rumors spread on Monday, September 21, 2020, that an “attempt” would be made to declare all House positions as “vacant,” thereby triggering a reorganization of the entire chamber.
As the rumor still would not die down, Yap said next few weeks “will be very challenging.”
“More work needs to be done,” Yap reminded his colleagues, “and it is my hope that the entire budget process will not be delayed by whatever issue that the Congress may face in the coming days.”
Malacañang, for its part, had it made it known that it is not in favor of changing the House leadership where the passage of next year’s budget would be its first casualty.