Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Malacañang will not hesitate to call for a special session in December if lawmakers will need more time to pass the 2021 national budget by the end of the year.

“If there is a need to call for a special season by December 14, then Malacañang will do it,” Roque said on Thursday, October 8.

He said this after Senate President Vicente Sotto III warned that the House of Representatives’ premature suspension of their session gives the Senate much less time to scrutinize the lower chamber’s final version of the P4.5-trillion budget.

Congress needs to pass the 2021 budget by December 18or else the 2020 budget will be reenacted, which Duterte economic managers don’t want because it would hurt the economy and reduce government funds to address the pandemic.

This is the deadline because Congress goes on break on December 19 to January 17, 2021.

Calling for a special session by December 14 means Congress can continue deliberating on the budget even after December 18.

Senator Panfilo Lacson stressed that the House move to suspend session means the 2020 budget is “as good as reenacted already.”

But Roque tried to inject some optimism, saying previously that the House session suspension should not stop the Senate from continuing its budget deliberations at the committee level.

But he did admit on Thursday that the Senate’s plenary deliberations would be delayed as this cannot happen without the House passing its budget bill on 3rd reading.

Roque highlighted the Duterte government’s call for the 2021 budget to be passed on time, calling it a “very important budget” that contains funding allocations that completes the government’s COVID-19 response war chest. – Rappler.com