(NI NOEL ABUEL)

INALMAHAN ng mga senador ang ibinabatong sisi ni 1-Pacman party list Rep. Mikee Romero na ang Senado ang dapat sisihin sa problema ng 30th SEA Games.

Giit ni Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, malaking insulto sa Senado ang akusasyon ng kongresista.

Sinabi nito na walang basehan ang akusasyon ng kongresista na dahil sa paghihigpit ng Senado sa budget ng Sea Games ang sanhi ng suliraningn kinakaharap nito.

“His accusations are misplaced and baseless, to say the least. The delay in the passage of the 2019 national budget was caused by unconstitutional insertions blatantly made by the House of Representatives in the budget to the tune of P95.3 billion worth of pork barrel funds,” aniya pa.

Giit pa ni Drilon, kung pinayagan ng Senado na makalusot ang P95.3 billion pork barrel, kaya nitong punuin ang P50-million kaldero sa SEA Games.

“To refresh Mr. Romero’s memory, had it not been for the solution or compromise that I proposed, which enabled Senate President Vicente Sotto to sign and send the 2019 budget to Malacañang, we would not have resolved the 2019 budget impasse and we would have continued on a reenacted budget. Had it not been for my efforts, certain quarters in the administration would have pushed through with recommending to the President the veto of the entire 2019 budget,” dagdag pa nito.

Sa kabilang banda, sinabi naman ni Senador Joel Villanueva na maling sisihin ang Senado sa problemang kakaharapin ng mga opisyales ng Sea Games.

“Hindi nga ba at natuklasan natin na may malaking pera na hindi maipaliwanag sa panukalang budget?,” tanong nito.

Dagdag pa ni Villanueva na suportado nito ang anumang imbestigasyon matapos lamang ang Sea Games.