Cayetano: House is also anti-pork

MANILA, Philippines — In response to the allegations of insertions in the proposed 2020 national budget, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano stressed that the House of Representatives is also anti-pork.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson has been claiming "pork barrel" allocations of the House in the proposed budget for next year.

Cayetano, meanwhile, stressed that there is no evidence of pork in the proposed budget.

"We respect his advocacy but I think

hindi

niya

matanggap that this House is also anti-pork," Cayetano said in a press briefing.

The House speaker also challenged critics to point out where the alleged pork insertions are so

that they could address it.

"Kung

meron pork

ituro

nila

tatanggalin

namin

sa budget," Cayetano said.

Cayetano, along with other House leaders, presented the lower chamber's realignments on the P4.1-trillion national budget for 2020.

The House speaker reiterated that the

budget, which the lower chamber approved on September 20, has "no pork, no parked funds and no delays."

Cayetano said he is expecting the bicameral conference committee to be contentious on the proposed budget.

"I expect it to be contentious

in regards of

what program should be funded. I cannot guarantee na

walang

magkakalat

ng

tsismis," Cayetano said.

No pork last year? Cong Castro should take some memory enhancement pills. He forgets that he and his co-conspirators in the House had illegally inserted P95B in the 2019 national budget which the President vetoed as recommended by the Senate.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) September 25, 2019

Dep

Spkr

LRay Villafuerte, Party-list Rep Mike Defensor, and other House members can take turns in maligning me while defending their pork but I’m still going all in. Patay kung

patay! The President’s P95B veto early this year is inspiring. It’s the people’s money

 after all.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) September 27, 2019

Last week, Rep. Fredenil Castro (Capiz) demanded that Lacson should apologize over his "reckless, irresponsible and imprudent" allegations of insertions in the proposed budget.

Lacson, however, refused to do so and said Castro should be the one to apologize to the Filipino people "for abusing their hard earned tax money in all the years

that he is in Congress." — Patricia Lourdes Viray