Palace won’t meddle in speakership term-sharing issue

Malacañang is keeping its hands off on the issue of sharing the term for the leadership of the House of Representatives following rumors that some lawmakers expressed doubt House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano would step down when his 15-month stint under the term-sharing agreement with Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco ends.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo stated this after it was reported that Cayetano will stay as House speaker, therefore breaking the agreement brokered by President Duterte to share the term with Velasco due to the good numbers the congressman from Taguig got in a recent survey.

Key leaders of the Makabayan bloc are convinced that Cayetano will renege on his commitment to step down and allow Velasco to serve the remainder of the 18th Congress after being tentative on what he would do at the end of his 15-month term.

Reps. France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-list) and Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Party-list) said Cayetano recently declared he would step down if President Duterte says so.

But the two members of the minority bloc said that this move is not stated under the gentleman’s pact that the two Duterte allies had agreed upon in order to resolve the leadership issue in the Lower House.

In his press briefing, Panelo said the Palace will not meddle in the affairs of the House of Representatives since they were the ones who decided to follow Duterte’s suggestion.

“The agreement was among themselves, eh. Wala namang kinalaman ang Malacañang doon ‘di ba? Nag-propose lang dahil hiningi iyong kaniyang mungkahi (Malacañang had nothing to do with that. The President just made the proposal because they asked for it),” he said.

“And remember that sinabi ni Presidente, ‘Ang ultimate approval, sa inyo iyan; hindi sa akin.’ ‘Di ba palagi niyang sinasabi (the President repeatedly said that the ultimate decision was with them),” he added.

“Nasa members of Congress iyon (It’s with the Congress now). After all, they’re the ones choosing their Speaker,” he continued.

After weeks of being asked by his partymates to make a decision, President Duterte in July endorsed Cayetano’s bid for the speakership. He was to share the term with Velasco.

According to Panelo, it would not have mattered to Duterte if the House elected Cayetano as speaker since the President respects the independence of the Legislative Branch.

“The President didn’t want to interfere, in fact, he avoided it a hundred percent. But the three rivals sought his help; they wanted him to intervene to help them. So what he did was to suggest a formula,” he said.

“But that suggestion of formula does not mean interference; it means, that’s my suggestion to you, it’s for you to decide whom you will choose. After all, they have their own independence,” Panelo added.

“It’s a gentleman’s agreement, I hope they will abide by it, Brosas said following the Makabayan press conference Thursday.

Castro said the agreement will be considered pure pretense if Cayetano will continue as speaker and will not give way to Velasco.