Cong. Lord Allan Velasco, House Speaker Alan Cayetano, Sen. Bong Go and President Rodrigo R. Duterte at the Malacanang meeting.
From Cong LordAllan Velasco:
I
express my deepest gratitude to President Duterte for calling the September 29,
2020 meeting and bringing together his key allies in Congress despite his busy
schedule.
As
the Father of the Nation and a true Statesman, the President has once again
proven his leadership and steadfast resolve to bridge differences and unite
parties regardless of their political affiliations in order for the country to
sail in one direction and to prioritize the welfare of our people. Thank you,
Mr. President.
To
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, it was only last night when you promised to resign
on October 14 when the President ordered you to honor the term-sharing
agreement. “Ito ay usapang lalaki.” Moreover, the President entrusted you with
the task of announcing the date of the turnover. October 14 was chosen as the
date for the turnover because we committed to pass the budget before October 14
and do nothing else that would disrupt or derail the process. Thank you for
confirming this in your September 30 Privilege Speech and for sharing with the
body that this is what we discussed during our meeting with the President —
that you will resign on October 14 and that you will announce this yourself as
a gentleman.
It
is most unfortunate, therefore, that today, deliberations on the budget was
suspended. Instead of focusing on the work at hand, further political maneuverings
and theatrics took the budget deliberations hostage. We lost an entire day, and
even tomorrow where you have declared that no session will be conducted, which
are crucial in meeting our timeline. These attacks and distractions serve no
purpose other than to perpetuate what is a purely personal agenda threatening
to delay the passage of the budget. This is the truth.
I
call on my colleagues to continue our work and pass the budget on or before
October 14. This is the commitment we’ve made before the President, and this is
our responsibility to our constituents, to deliver to them a fair and equitable
budget.
I
assure my peers that we will be a gracious leader who would listen and be
responsive to your concerns. But I make an earnest plea: Let us uphold the dignity of the House of
Representatives by being men and women who believe in “Palabra de Honor” in keeping our word and upholding the
term-sharing agreement Speaker Cayetano and I swore to honor and respect.
God
bless the Philippines 🙏🏻
