The leadership of the House of Representatives was urged on Monday, Oct. 12, to get back to work in finishing next year’s budget.

“We hope they get quickly down to work,”said Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) President Domingo Egon Cayosa following the decision of majority of congressmen to elect Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco as House Speaker to replace Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.
“Both are lawyers and they are both my friends,” he noted.
Deliberations for the 2021 budget hit a snag due to tug-of-war over the House speakership between Cayetano and Velasco.
Government officials have already warned against reenacting the 2020 budget for next year since it does not contain allocations for response to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“They have to lessen the drama and focus on the work at hand that is the budget for the pandemic,” advised Cayosa.
The IBP official reminded that the COVID-19 pandemic will not be going away anytime soon and it has already caused jobs, lives and has forced the government to get loans.
Cayetano has called as illegal Monday’s election which was held outside the Batasang Pambansa compound in Quezon City and participated by 186 lawmakers who voted to have Velasco be the House Speaker.
“Under the rules, Congress ideally or traditionally conducts business in Batasan. But they can agree to conduct business anywhere by majority vote,” Cayosa said.
“This has happened in the past. It can be online. With 186 votes, they can decide to change the rules,” he added.
Considering both camps claim to have majority support, Cayosa pointed out “the issue here is did they actually have 186 votes.”