MANILA – Senators Franklin Drilon and Cynthia Villar engaged in verbal tussle over the proposed budget for a bill seeking to institutionalize the country’s bamboo industry, forcing the Senate to suspend the discussion of the measure.
The argument started when the Ilonggo lawmaker questioned the P1-billion allocation for the development of the industry, which he described as a “substantial budget.”
“Because the way it’s phrased, we’re already earmarking P1 billion for the greening program only for bamboo. This is a substantial allotment and allocation so I think if the sponsor can kindly give us an explanation of why a budget of P1 billion is being put up,” Drilon said.
“Because when the General Appropriation Bill is prepared, we already allotted P1 billion without any explanation and rationalization for this earmarking,” he added.
Villar, who answered in lieu of the bill sponsor Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, rebutted Drilon, saying there are two executive orders which provide for the earmarking of 25 percent of the greening program for bamboo but Drilon contradicted it that the earmarking refers to “25 percent of the area, and not 25 percent of the budget.”
“If we’re going to help the bamboo industry, we should indicate what we’re going to give,” Villar told Drilon. “I want to remind the senator from Iloilo (Drilon) that his hometown is the bamboo capital of the Philippines.”
Drilon snapped back with Villar’s final sentence and he said that “I hope that the gentle lady from Las Piñas will stop alluding to personal motives.”
Villar later clarified that raising the importance of the bamboo industry to Drilon’s home province was meant to be a compliment and not an insult.
“It’s a compliment that Iloilo province is very good in bamboo. I went there talagang meron silang plantation at processing ng bamboo,” she said. “Pinupuri ko nga siya.”
Villar added she was not maligning Drilon, saying she too has stakes in the bamboo industry.
“I have a bamboo processing center that makes home stairs… sinusupply ko sa VistaLand para hanapbuhay ng mga tao,” she said./PN
