New minority bloc emerging in House

Talks are underway for the creation of a new alliance of opposition congressmen that will attempt to steal the official minority bloc title and its political advantages from the acknowledged opposition group in the House of Representatives led by Minority Leader and Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez.

While no agreement has been forged yet, the seven-man independent minority bloc led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and the Makabayan bloc are currently discussing the possibility of joining forces to act as the official fiscalizers in the 17th Congress.

Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin, a key figure in the Lagman group, told The Manila Bulletin that talks have started for the possible unification.

“We had initial talks and we will be working on it in the coming days,” Villarin disclosed.

The two groups have found common grounds to unite, among which, was their opposition to the decision of the majority bloc led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to reduce to a measly 11,000 the proposed 2018 budget of the Commission on Human Rights.

At least 32 congressmen voted against the motion aired by Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta while 119 upheld the proposal that will deny the CHR its proposed budget of P678 million.

The seven-man Left-leaning Makabayan bloc recently bolted the Malacañang-backed supermajority coalition in the Lower Chamber as they vowed to step up their opposition to the administration of President Duterte.

The Lagman group is composed of LP and partylist congressmen who challenged the Alvarez leadership.

Asked to comment, Suarez said he remains confident that any threat to undermine the acknowledged opposition in the Lower House will be addressed simply by recruiting additional members to the minority.

On the other hand, Deputy Minority Leader and ABS Partylist Rep. Eugene De Vera explained that even if the Lagman and Makabayan groups were combined, they will still fall short of five congressmen to be able to get the minority title.