As the lower chamber continues to squander precious time over political maneuverings, President Rodrigo Duterte said he is ‘fed up’ of the politicking happening even as he certified the 2021 proposed budget as urgent.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte remains focused on seeing the P4.5-trillion budget for 2021 passed so that government would be able to deal more effectively with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In principle, the President does not want to be involved in politics. ‘Natagam na ako (roughly: I am fed up).’ Natagam is the Visayan word for ‘Nadala na ako (I am fed up).’ That’s the verbatim statement of the President when he urged lawmakers to set aside politics,” Roque said.
“Ayaw kong makialam sa pulitika sa Kamara. Natagam na ako. Ang importante ay maipasa ang (I do not want to meddle in politics in Congress. I am fed up. What is important is the passage of the) proposed 2021 budget),” he added.
“The President just said, pass the budget first, so anything they do after the budget is the affair of the House of Representatives,” the Palace spokesman said.
The spokesman added that Duterte is not taking anyone’s side at this point, as he is fed up with the House’s priorities as the country faces a pandemic.
“He is fed up because the politicking in the House is not stopping. Those who want to become Speaker just want power. How about the nation? He is not siding with anyone at this point. He just wants the COVID-19 budget passed,” he said.
