Did Pantaleon Alvarez’s daughter take House mace?

MANILA, Philippines — Where did the mace of the House of Representatives go amid the leadership infighting that delayed President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday?

Netizens are asking this question after a photograph of Paola Alvarez, daughter of ousted speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, holding the House mace in front of her father’s table at the Speaker’s office appeared in social media. The mace is the symbol of authority of the House of Representatives.

It was not clear when and what time the photo was taken. The picture shows the younger Alvarez wearing a black terno. A House employee who saw her around 2 p.m. on Monday told The STAR that she was in casual attire for the SONA.

Alvarez’s daughter, who is a lawyer, is an assistant secretary at the Department of Finance. She is the agency’s spokesperson.

On Monday, deputy speaker and Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia abruptly adjourned the session at 12:30 p.m., derailing the expected approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law, which Duterte was scheduled to sign before his SONA.

The adjournment was reportedly intended to preempt allies of former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from electing her as new Speaker.

Arroyo and her supporters, who comprised a majority of House members, reopened the session, ousted Alvarez and installed her as Speaker in proceedings some congressmen, including Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, considered as irregular.

They proceeded with their session even without the House mace, with the sound system turned off and without the secretariat that would have recorded the deliberations.

The sergeant-at-arms is in charge of the safekeeping of the House mace.

During the President’s meeting with Alvarez and Arroyo before the SONA, Alvarez questioned the session in which Arroyo was elected Speaker.

Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, an Arroyo supporter, quoted Alvarez as saying that Arroyo was not validly elected since there was no record of the vote, there was no secretariat and the sound system was turned off.