MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte issued a strong warning on Thursday to Congress that he will intervene if the chamber fails to pass the budget “legally and constitutionally.”
“Either you resolve the issue sa impasse ninyo ‘yan and pass the budget legally and constitutionally. ‘Pag hindi ninyo ginawa, ako ang gagawa para sa inyo,” Duterte said.
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(Either you resolve the issue about your impasse and pass the budget legally and constitutionally. If you can’t do it, I’ll do it for you.)
Duterte did not specify how exactly he will intervene, but he underscored that he is not threatening anyone and does not desire to linger longer in his position.
He also refused to provide a timeline as to when the budget should be passed, saying this is only the work of dictators, but said that he will step in if “there will be a delay and it will result in the derailment of government service.”
The president also hinted that Congress may have violated the Constitution in their proceedings with the budget, but no longer dwelled on the specific provisions the chamber may have disobeyed.
He also once again distanced himself from the ongoing leadership row in the House of Representatives, even appealing to no longer drag him in the tussle between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros) and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque) at the expense of tainting his administration’s legacy.
“‘Wag na niyo ninyo akong idamay sa away ninyo, tapos in the future, people will be asking. ‘What happened to the administration of Duterte?’” he said.
(Don’t involve me in your quarrel, only for people to ask in the future, ‘What happened to the administration of Duterte?’)
‘Don’t play too much’
Duterte’s warning came after a long week of maneuverings in the House led by Cayetano, which resulted in the abrupt end of the public debates on the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for next year and the House taking a break earlier than expected.
While this also resulted in the passage of the budget on second reading, it also means that the House would not be able to pass the spending plan on final reading on its self-imposed deadline on October 14 as the session is suspended until November 16.
“Wag niyo naman sobrahan ang laro sa Congress na ang budget mismo ang nalagay sa alanganin,” Duterte said.
(Don’t play too much in Congress because the budget itself is being placed in a dilemma.)
He added, “There is something more higher than just delaying and maneuvering in Congress because everybody wants to be speaker.”
Several lawmakers, including Velasco, have called on the House leadership to reconvene the session, but Cayetano has balked at this idea saying that continuing budget deliberations in plenary would further lead to politicking.
“There are saboteurs, there were people with their own intentions. Lawmakers and the departments were no longer able to talk well with each other,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Lawmakers allied with Velasco said it is still possible for a majority of congressmen to reconvene the session ahead November 16, but Cayetano’s allies said this would be illegal.