Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Carlos Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite denied Thursday that their Makabyan Bloc faction was only after media mileage when they called for the House leadership to resume the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2021 national budget.

"I have to state for the record – hindi ito for media mileage (this is not for media mileage)," Zarate, a deputy minority leader, told House reporters during the bloc's weekly virtual press conference.

"Ito (deliberations) ay karapatan ng mamamayan at bilang isang collegial body ay talagang ‘yun ang ating gawain – ang pagdebatihan ito (budget) sa plenaryo. At para malaman din ng mamamayan kung ano ang ginagawa ng kanilang mga kinatawan sa Kongreso (These deliberations are the right of the people and as a collegial body, it is truly the job of Congress to hold plenary debates on the budget. This will also show to the people what their representatives are doing in Congress)," he explained.

Last Wednesday, deputy speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte insinuated that the six-member Makabayan Bloc was simply after "exposure" and "media mileage" when they sought continuation of the plenary debates, which are livestreamed over social media and covered heavily by traditional media.

"Obviously, this is woefully wrong," Gaite said during the same presser.

"’Yung kapangyarihan ay nandoon sa mamamayan. Dapat transparent at accountable ang buong prosesong ito (The power is with the people. The whole process must be transparent and accountable)," reckoned the neophyte congressman.

Villafuerte, the deputy speaker for finance, was among the members of the "small committee" formed by the House leadership after the abrupt passage of House Bill (HB) No.7727 on second reading last Tuesday.

The passage of the bill, which proposes a P4.506-trillion fiscal plan for next year, took place right after the termination of plenary deliberations on the motion of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

The small committee was given "full powers to entertain committee as well as individual amendments by the members to be submitted to the Committee on Appropriations on or before Nov. 5," again based on Cayetano's motion.

But Gaite said it doesn't work that way. "Hindi puwedeng 'small committees' ang magpapasya sa P4.5-trillion na budget na pino-propose for 2021 ('Small committees' shouldn't have the power to decide on the P4.5-trillion budget being proposed for 2021)."

"Kaya ang panawagan pa rin namin ay ibalik sa tamang proseso ng deliberation at interpellation na naaayon sa tamang proseso ng Kongreso (Thus, our continuing appeal to revert to the correct process of deliberation and interpellation, as per the correct process in Congress)," he added.

Zarate said the work of the small committee simply can't substitute true-blue deliberations on the floor.

"Sa tingin namin hindi ito kapalit ng actual deliberations sa floor which is very transparent and streamed live. Ang usapin talaga dito ‘yung transparency (In our view, this can't be a substitute to the actual deliberations on the floor which is very transparent and streamed live. The real issue here is transparency)," he said.