President Duterte expressed his frustration after the proposed National 2021 budget sidelined when the House of Representative suspended its session until November 16.
House Speaker Allan Cayetano moved to suspend the current session after the second reading of the budget amid the controversial sharing succession of the speaker of the house.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained that the Senate can act on the budget without waiting for the lower chamber to approve it on the third and final reading. He added that the Constitution does not prohibit the Senate from acting on proposed legislation.
But assurance to pass in the Senate was given by Senate President Vicente Sotto while Senator Panfilo Lacson commented that there would be more time to examine the budget
Roque, also a former lawmaker, also explained that lawmakers could no longer make any amendments when the proposed law is approved on the second reading.
The big part of the 2021 national budget includes the allocation of more funds to address the COVID-19 crisis.
