President Duterte broke his silence about the speakership row at the House of Representatives, telling Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco to solve the problem or he will do it for them.

Duterte made the statement after Cayetano made the motion to terminate the period of debates and amendments for House Bill No. 7727 or the proposed 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

In an unscheduled public address on Thursday, Duterte advised the Lower House  not to drag him into their mess and eventually delay the passage of the much-needed P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget because of their impasse.

"Gusto kong maganda yung administrasyon ko sana, kung kaya ko rin. Kung kaya kong pagandahin. Pero 'wag na ninyo akong idamay sa away ninyo. (I want my administration to be good--as good as it can be--if I can. But don't drag me into your mess)," he said.

"'Wag naman sana ninyong sobrahan ang laro sa Congress na yung budget mismo ang nalagay sa alanganin. (Don't play with politics in Congress too much that you will put the budget in jeopardy)," he added.

"We always forget that there is something more--higher than just delaying or maneuvering in Congress because everybody wants to be Speaker," he continued.

According to President Duterte, the Lower House should fix their problem soon or he will do it for them himself.

"I'm just appealing to you. Gusto ko lang sabihin in one straight statement: Either you resolve the issue sa impasse ninyo diyan (about your impasse) and pass the budget legally and constitutionally. 'Pag hindi ninyo ginawa, ako ang gagawa para sa inyo. (If you don't, then I'll do it for you)," he said.

"Hindi ako nananakot...  Basta sinasabi ko lang (I'm not trying to threaten you. I'm just saying), if you do not solve the problem, then I will solve the problem for you. Mamili kayo (You choose)," he added.

Duterte likewise noted that there is a bigger problem at hand than their dispute, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.

"People are dying, people are sick, people need medicines, at marami pang ibang--alam ninyo 'yan (and there's a lot more--and you know it)," he said.

"Ayusin ninyo at isipin ninyo ang Pilipino na nasa ospital ngayon na kailangan ng medisina at yung mga Pilipinong mamatay ngayon na walang gamot, wala lahat, kulang (Resolve your issues and think of the people in the hospital--those who are in need of medicines and those who are dying)," he added.

The President, however, did not give the House of Representatives a deadline to fix their problem as long as they are able to pass the budget on time.

"I am not going to give a timeline, mga diktador lang gumagawa ng ganoon. Gusto ko na ayusin ninyo (only dictators do that. I want you to fix it)," he said.

"If and when I see that there will be a delay and it will result in the derailment of government service, I will, I said, solve the problem for you... Keep that in mind and we will see in the next few days if there is really something that we can hope for. 'Pag wala (If there is none), then I will do my thing," he added.

Malacañang is yet to clarify what Duterte meant when he said he will do his "thing" to resolve the issue in the House of Representatives.

Cayetano and Velasco entered into a gentleman's agreement brokered by President Duterte to share the term. They agreed that Cayetano would serve as speaker for 15 months while Velasco would take over and serve for 21 months.

After a meeting with President Duterte last week, Cayetano offered to resign as House Speaker. However, this was rejected by his supporters in the Lower House.