President Duterte issued Proclamation No. 1027 calling the Congress to a special session. The President was forced to issue the said proclamation amid the squabble in the House of Representatives. House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano decided, together with his allies, for the early suspension of the budget hearing in the lower house. The move is seen to derail the assumption of his position by Rep. Lord Allan Velasco come October 14, 2020. The two admin allies previously forged a term-sharing agreement which was duly signed by both parties. However, Speaker Cayetano said that majority of the congressmen supports his leadership despite the President's advice to honor their agreement.
The Lower House is now on recess and will only resume its function next month. This could badly affect the timely passage of the National Budget for 2021. The president is worried about the consequences of a delayed budget especially that the country is battling the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Proclamation #1027 directed the Congress to hold a Special Session on October 13 to October 16' 2020 to allow the resumption of the 2021 National Budget deliberations.
Let us wait and see what will happen in the next few days, particularly about the plans of Speaker Cayetano and his allies.
Here's a copy of the proclamation. Sourced from the PCOO website.
