Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) — President Rodrigo Duterte will give an address to the nation on Thursday afternoon in a bid to “solve the problem” regarding the national budget, officials said.
Senator Bong Go and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the address would happen “around” 5 p.m.. They did not give details.
Earlier, Roque said the Palace would not call for a special session of Congress anytime soon despite an apparent delay in the 2021 budget approval process.
He said the Palace rejected suggestions for the President to call for a special session days after House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano suspended plenary proceedings until November 16, leaving the ₱4.5-trillion spending plan hanging amid a power struggle for the speakership.
The House earlier planned to approved the measure on third reading before taking a break on October 16.
This comes in the middle of an unfolding drama between Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco and the fate of their term-sharing deal, which was supposed to kick in this month. Both were insisting to take the prime seat. Cayetano has so far managed to stay in power and has sacked committee chairpersons who have backed his rival.
The House and Senate must pass their own versions of the spending plan and have them reconciled through a bicameral committee before it can be endorsed for Duterte’s signing into law before January 1, 2021.
