ONE of the members of the “Young Guns” group has refuted claims made by Vice President Sara Duterte that she didn’t let officials and members of the House of Representatives wait for 17 hours during her office’s scheduled plenary budget deliberations last Monday.
“If we take note, the contents of the letter is a reiteration of the answer that they interposed even for the pre-budget deliberations,” 1Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez said, referring to the Sept. 11 letter the Office of the Vice President sent to budget sponsor, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong.
The gist of this letter was the same as the one Duterte sent to the House committee on appropriations headed by Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, prior to its committee level approval and prior to sending it to plenary for further deliberations.
“In other words, she only repeated that she is leaving it to the House to decide on the fate of her budget. However, it does not say that she will not participate with our processes,” the 1Rider party-list congressman, a lawyer, explained further.
“It does not say that she will not attend, it does not say that she will send an authorized representative, so I don’t think the Sept. 11 letter would be any indication of what transpired Monday. So, I don’t think we could have been prepared,” Gutierrez stressed.
In a Facebook post Tuesday evening, the OVP branded as “fake news” Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel’s claim they waited for 17 hours, posting the single-page letter they sent Adiong, which his office received on Sept. 16, when House plenary deliberations have started.
