House budget row may delay 2021 national spending plan

A power struggle within the House of Representatives over the P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021 could potentially delay its approval.

Presidential son and House Deputy Speaker Paolo Z. Duterte threatened to initiate a coup against Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano due to complaints of inequitable budget allocations for various districts.

Duterte had informed a group of lawmakers via Viber that he intended to ask the Mindanao bloc to declare the positions of speaker and deputy speakers vacant.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed concern that a power struggle in the House would negatively impact the budget's timeline, especially amid the ongoing pandemic, high unemployment, and economic contraction.

A similar dispute over budget insertions in the past caused a four-month delay in the approval of the 2019 national spending plan.