Order restored
An ally of former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano gave the 15-month stint of the Taguig-Pateros congressman as head of the House of Representatives an 8.5 out of 10, and even claimed that under his watch the Chamber outdid the Senate.
In terms of controversy and divisive scheming, the rating would be appropriate.
To be fair, a number of priority measures including the Postponement of the May 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections; Establishment of Malasakit Centers; the bill Increasing and Restructuring the Excise Tax Rates on Alcohol, Heated Tobacco and Vapor Products; the Corporate Income Tax & Incentives Rationalization Act; the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA); the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Act; the Creation of the Department of Filipinos Overseas and Foreign Employment; the Creation of the National Academy of Sports; and the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 were among the 389 bills passed during the 15 months of Cayetano.
Nonetheless, his lack of integrity in honoring the term-sharing agreement led to his downfall.
The public then saw his hubris unfold, which resulted in a 10 percentage point drop in performance and nine points reduction in trust ratings in a recent survey.
Now Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Cayetano had made sure that he stayed in a corner, apparently to prevent him from shining.
In Daily Tribune’s regular online forum “Straight Talk,” Velasco revealed he was not invited to House meetings, keeping him in the dark of what was transpiring in the Chamber.
Cayetano and Velasco, though, were part of the alliance supporting President Rodrigo Duterte and should have closely coordinated on the important bills endorsed to the Chamber.
“Actually, I was practically ostracized. Sorry to say that,” Velasco said during the interview.
One instance he cited was a gathering of House members in which he was the only one who was not invited, the Speaker said.
Velasco said, however, he does not hold any rancor toward Cayetano. “I’m really not that type of person. I am forgiving,” he said.
A unifying House leadership is needed in the remaining 21 months of the 18th Congress and likewise the term of Mr. Duterte due to the situation where the nation faces a lot of uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
There is no room for political bickering similar to what recently transpired in Cayetano’s adamant refusal to honor the 15-21 agreement.
Measures now have to be fast-tracked amid the fast-changing environment. Even if the health crisis is resolved soon, the rehabilitation process for the economy will need the necessary laws to enable many Filipinos who have lost their livelihood to rebuild their lives.
Putting the interest of the country ahead of self-promotion is also an utmost requirement since it was proven under Cayetano that political ambition is all consuming and does not recognize reason.
Mr. Duterte had indicated that the priority now is to save lives and preserve livelihood in the remaining period of his term, which should jibe with the thinking of the House leadership. An important development in the ascension of Velasco was the marginalization of the schemers in the House who spearheaded the spell of hostility that nearly cost the swift approval of the 2021 national budget.
They mostly composed the same cabal that obstructed the 2020 budget, resulting in a four-month delay that ate up one percentage point of economic output.
The delay was critical since it would have provided the nation and the government more resources to deal with the pandemic.
A second delay, which would have been fatal, was averted in the nick of time by removing the aberrations who are the ambitious lot who treat their lofty positions as a springboard to fame and riches.
“Putting the interest of the country ahead of selfpromotion is also an utmost requirement since it was proven under Cayetano that political ambition is all consuming and does not recognize reason.
“Nonetheless, his lack of integrity in honoring the term-sharing agreement led to his downfall.