Drilon: Romero blaming Senate for SEA Games mishaps an 'insult'
MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon slammed as “irresponsible” and “baseless” the statement of Rep. Mikee Romero (1PACMAN Party-list) blaming the Senate for the delay in the budget for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
In a statement Monday, Drilon said Romero’s comment is an “insult to the leadership of the Senate.”
This, after Romero said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel that the delayed passage of the national budget caused mishaps in the country’s hosting of the biennial meet.
“Unfortunately, the Senate had a lot of problems and the budget was delayed for five to six months. Everything was caused by that delay. Senator Drilon is also partly to blame probably because the delay was caused on their side not on the House side,” Romero, who also plays for the national polo team, said.
He added: “If they have approved it and if the budget was already available last January, all these mishaps might not have happened.”
The Philippine Sports Commission was allotted P6 billion under the 2019 budget for the hosting of the SEA Games.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the 2019 national budget last April. The enactment was delayed for four months after questions about illegal realignments allegedly made by lawmakers were raised.
The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee raised another P1.5 billion through sponsorship.
‘Unfounded’ accusations
Drilon described as “misplaced” and “baseless” the remarks of Romero as he urged the athlete-turned-lawmaker to refrain from issuing “irresponsible” statements.
He said the delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget was caused by “unconstitutional insertions blatantly made by the House of Representatives in the budget to the tune of P95.3 billion worth of pork barrel funds.”
“To refresh Mr. Romero’s memory, had it not been for the solution or compromise that I proposed, which enabled Senate President Vicente Sotto to sign and send the 2019 budget to Malacañang, we would not have resolved the 2019 budget impasse and we would have continued on a reenacted budget,” Drilon said.
The opposition lawmaker added: “Had it not been for my efforts, certain quarters in the administration would have pushed through with recommending the president the veto of the entire 2019 budget.”
During a Senate budget deliberations last week, Drilon questioned the P50-million cauldron that will hold the games’ flames. He said the money it cost to build the structure would have been better spent helping the nation’s children.
Organizers of the games have been under fire for transportation and accommodation problems of arriving athletes and unfinished sports facilities just days before the competition starts.
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