The P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 will benefit the Filipino people, not the allies of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
This was stressed by Deputy Speaker Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez Sunday after Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco questioned the supposed interest of Cayetano and his allies over the House Bill No. 7727 or the P4.506-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) which is under House plenary deliberations.
"Aba ang budget ay hindi budget ng barkada, budget ito ng bayan,” he told the DZBB in an interview.
(The budget is not the budget of the group, this is the budget of the nation)
He even cited the House leadership’s efforts to ensure that the needs of the most affected sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic such as the health and agriculture sectors will be attended to under the country’s spending plan for 2021.
"Alam ba niya na ang Department of Health ay nilalagyan po natin para dito sa pandemic, kung saan 'yung HFEP (Health Facilities Enhancement Program) na P100 billion, nirerealign para makapagpagawa tayo ng primary and secondary level na hospital?” Fernandez said.
(Did he know that the Department of Health has been given funding to strengthen its pandemic response and the P100 billion for HFEP has been realigned so that we can construct primary and second level hospital?)
He said the current leadership also ensured that the crucial agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Education (DepEd), and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have substantial allocation for 2021.
"Lahat 'yun pondo ng bayan (These are all public funds),” Fernandez said.
He challenged Velasco to show the breakdown of the funding allocation for the Marinduque lone district, and compare it to that of the first district of Laguna and other districts under the allies of Cayetano.
Velasco, in a Facebook video, accused Cayetano of holding the 2021 national budget hostage, even as he questioned him and his allies’ motives regarding the 2021 national budget.
“Kaya sinasabi ko magkumparahan tayo, para malaman kung totoo yung sinasabi nya kung ito ay pondo ng barkada ni Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. That is untrue at salat sa katotohanan,” Fernandez said.
(That is why I am saying, let us have comparison, to know that what he is saying that this is the fund of the group of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is true. This is untrue and is lack of truth)
"Budget ba ito sa bayan o budget ng mga barkada mo? (Is this the budget of the nation or the budget of your allies?) Makabuluhang budget ba ito sa gitna ng pandemya, o malaking budget ba ito para sa grupo mo? (Is this a meaningful budget amid the pandemic, or huge budget for your group?)” Velasco said in a Facebook video Friday night.
"Is this why Speaker Cayetano and his sidekicks are adamant and fiercely fighting the peaceful transition of House leadership. Is this why Speaker Cayetano is trying to blackmail President Duterte and hold the budget hostage if his term is not extended?" he added.