House official says Duterte being set up to fail by senators in budget impasse

HOUSE Majority Leader Fredenil H. Castro of the 2nd district of Capiz, said the budget actions of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III and Senator Panfilo M. Lacson represent “maneuvering” to cause President Rodrigo R. Duterte to fail.

“It seems that Senator Ping Lacson is holding President Duterte and the entire Filipino people hostage due to his continuing animosity towards our Speaker (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). He has obviously convinced the Senate leadership to do his bidding,” Mr. Castro said in a statement Thursday.

The delayed 2019 Budget remains untransmitted to Malacañang amid a dispute over an “itemization” exercise undertaken by the House after the P3.757 trillion spending plan was approved by the bicameral conference committee.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. of the 1st district of Camarines Sur has said that the itemization of lump sums, most of it involving health funding, was done with the agreement of the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Loren B. Legarda.

He added in a statement Thursday, that lump sum funds are “prone to corruption” and must be itemized.

The standoff has led to calls that the budget be recalled or that objectionable portions of the budget be vetoed by the President.

Mr. Sotto said in a television interview Thursday: “The suggestion was that again, recall the submitted GAB (General Appropriations Bill) to us and from there we could probably amend or let the President veto that portion, then we can convene even for one day a special session and pass a joint resolution: approving a supplemental budget for the (disputed) part of the budget,” which he estimated as accounting for about 3% of the total spending plan. He noted this was the subject of discussions between Mr. Lacson and San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo B. Zamora.