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Manila, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte called Congress to a special session to resume deliberations on the draft national budget for 2021.
In a statement, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the special session is scheduled for October 13-16, 2020.
Roque said the president’s measure through Proclamation No. 1027 aims to “resume deliberations in Congress on the proposed national budget for 2021 and avoid further delays in its early approval.”
The executive director also certified as urgent the General Appropriations Bill that seeks to allocate P4.5 billion in the budget for next year.
On Thursday, Duterte urged lawmakers to resolve the leadership dispute in the House of Representatives and immediately pass the 2021 national budget.
He also appealed to the solons of the lower house not to drag him to the issue.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alan Peter Cayetano, and the representative of Marinduque, Lord Allan Velasco, are embroiled in a controversy over the speech.
On Tuesday, Cayetano moved abruptly to approve the proposed spending measure at second reading and suspend the session until November 16. This move is seen as preventing Velasco from taking office despite his shared term agreement negotiated by Duterte.
With the House sessions suspended and the bill passed only on second reading, lawmakers have expressed concern that the budget proposal will not be approved on time and may lead to a re-enactment of the budget.
Cayetano, however, maintained that there is still enough time for approval once the Chamber resumes its session in November.
