Arroyo's return to power: What it means and what could happen next

MANILA, Philippines — Hours before President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his third State of the Nation Address on Monday, a power struggle among lawmakers unfolded before the public.

On the morning of July 23, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte) addressed his colleagues and listed the House’s achievements under his leadership. He did not touch on reported talks to oust him as speaker, which grew stronger over the weekend.

In what was seen as an attempt to stop the change in leadership, the House adjourned its session before noon, missing the anticipated ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Bill to the dismay of many.

READ: House fails to ratify Bangsamoro Organic Law for SONA

Minutes after the session was adjourned, a manifesto was passed around among the members of the House, signifying a vote to elect Arroyo as House speaker.

In a muted—literally and figuratively—affair, Arroyo took her oath as House speaker.

But it was still Alvarez who greeted Duterte upon his arrival at the Batasan. The apparent power struggle delayed the president’s constitutionally mandated speech by more than an hour.

After Duterte finished his SONA, lawmakers and guests started pouring out of the plenary and giving their comments to the president’s speech, but some solons stayed back at the plenary to deliberate on change of leadership at the lower chamber.

At around 8:51 p.m., Arroyo, a former president charged with graft, made a political comeback: She had officially unseated Alvarez—who had had her unseated as deputy speaker in 2017—as leader of the House of Representatives.

READ: House formally elects Arroyo as speaker

House speaker's powers

The speaker is the fourth highest official in the Philippine government and is elected by a majority vote among members of the House of Representatives.

According to the House website, the speaker “presides over the session, decides on all questions of order; subject to appeal by any member, signs all acts, resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants and subpoenas issued by or upon order of the House; appoints, suspends, dismisses or disciplines House personnel and exercise administrative functions.”

According to the rules adopted by the House of the 17th Congress, the speaker also prepares the legislative agenda for each regular session and has the responsibility "to ensure full deliberation and swift approval of measures included therein."

The speaker is also tasked with conducting monthly caucuses, or as often as necessary, to discuss priority measures and to thresh out issues and concerns among members.

They also "exercise general supervision over all committees and, in furtherance thereof, conduct regular monthly meetings with the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of all standing and special committees" to review performance and to check that the panels' priorities "are attuned to the legislative agenda of the House."

Among the legislative measures that Duterte is pushing is the shift to a federal form of government

Lawmakers stand for the national anthem at the plenary hall of the House of Representatives during a special session tackling the extension of martial law in Mindanao in July. Inset shows a congressman with a thumbs up sign to vote in favor of the extension. BOY SANTOS, MIGUEL DE GUZMAN, file

Before he was replaced, Alvarez presided over a House that readily affirmed and later approved two extensions of martial law over Mindanao. It also impeached Andy Bautista as Commission on Elections chairman and set in motion the removal of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice.

After he had voiced displeasure at the Commission on Human Rights, a member of the Alvarez-led majority proposed and managed to get approval from the body for an annual budget of P1,000 for the constitutional body. That decision was walked back after outrage online and opposition from the Senate.

Aside from pushing the legislative agenda, a speaker also has the authority to "sign all acts, resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants and subpoenae that may be issued by or upon order of the House."

In consultation with the Committee on Rules, the speaker is tasked with coming up with guidelines "governing public access to personal data and related information, including Statements of Assets and Liabilities, of Members of the House."  

READ: Who's who: Richest, poorest House members in 2017

The speaker also has the power to review, approve and sign contracts on behalf of the House of Representatives.

Arroyo as prime minister?

Sens. Grace Poe and Panfilo Lacson have expressed worry at Arroyo’s ascension to power as her being a step closer to becoming a prime minister.

Speaking to reporters after SONA, Poe warned that the change in House leadership "gives a bad impression."

"They have something that they want to push for—a change in our constitution," she added.

However, the final draft of the Federal Charter, as crafted by the consultative committee handpicked by Duterte, does not mention a position for a prime minister.

The president is expected to back this draft, as he has touted the federal form of government even before he has come to the presidency.

The proposed federal form of government will retain the three branches of government in the 1987 Constitution: An Executive branch led by a president and vice president elected as a team; a legislature with a Senate and House of Representatives, and the judiciary with a federal supreme court.

However, Congress could convene itself into a Constituent Assembly and work on a charter different from the one submitted by the president's consultative committee.

A ConAss would allow the members to vote on amendments of the Constitution and introduce revisions to the charter.

It is one of the three ways to revise the Constitution, with the other two being through a constitutional convention, where the public can elect delegates to amend the charter, and through a people’s initiative, where voters across the country will be allowed to either approve or reject proposals. 

A group of academics already flagged this mode to amend the Constitution as they said, the process “must be much more participatory.”

Should a parliamentary form of government, instead of presidential form, be pushed and approved in Congress, and the amendments ratified in a plebiscite, the Philippines would have a prime minister.

The prime minister will be chosen from within the ranks of the legislative branch. With Arroyo’s rise to be the top legislative leader at the House of Representatives, she may be one of the candidates to assume this position.

A prime minister, under a parliamentary government, will serve as head of government while a president will act as head of state.

Sen. Lacson, however, warned that if Arroyo’s “ascension to the speakership is a prelude to becoming prime minister, they better think twice because the Senate, both majority and minority have agreed to close ranks to defend and assert our role under the 1987 Constitution in revising or amending the same.”

“That, I can say with certainty and conviction,” the senator stressed.