PRRD stops interfering in Speakership tussle in House, reminds Cayetano to pass budget on time

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On Wednesday night, President Rodrigo Duterte met with Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, the same day the latter offered to resign from his position due to a leadership row in the House of Representatives.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said Cayetano’s wife Lani and sister, Senator Pia Cayetano, joined said meeting. According to him, it was not Cayetano who arranged the event, but Rep. Eddie Villanueva scheduled it weeks ago to pray over the President.

Roque said that the President told Cayetano he respects the decision of the 184 lawmakers who rejected the House Speaker’s offer to immediately step down so Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco can take over the Speakership.

“The President has said he will not interfere beyond reminding the parties to honor the agreement. Hanggang doon lang ang posisyon ng Presidente. Iyan ang sinabi niya two weeks ago, pero kahapon ang sinabi na nga niya, eh with everything that has happened in the House, he accepts the decision of the lawmakers,” he said in a media briefing.

: The President has said he will not interfere beyond reminding the parties to honor the agreement, that was his position, that’s what he said two weeks ago. But as of yesterday, after what happened in the House, he accepts the decision of the lawmakers.]

Under the term-sharing agreement brokered by Duterte in 2019, Cayetano was supposed to serve as Speaker for the first 15 months or until October this year. Velasco would then take over the post for the succeeding 21 months.

Following the overwhelming vote of the House, Roque said the President only stressed to Cayetano the need to pass the 2021 budget on time. 

If his colleagues had accepted his resignation, Cayetano said he was ready to spend the next two weeks helping in the work to quickly approve the budget.

House committees to hold hearings during break

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Spread the loveMANILA – The House of Representatives has authorized for its committees to conduct hearings during the five-week congressional break, extending until late April.

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