Velasco allies being eased out of posts

Mikee Romero removed as deputy speaker

MANILA, Philippines — The speakership war in the House of Representatives has claimed its first casualty.

Yesterday, 1-Pacman party-list Rep. Mikee Romero was removed as deputy speaker and replaced by Capiz Rep. Fred Castro, who had just finished his privilege speech demanding the resignation of supporters of Rep. Lord Allan Velasco from their committee chairmanships.

Romero was an acknowledged supporter of Velasco in the Marinduque congressman’s bid to take over the post of speaker from Alan Peter Cayetano.

In his speech, Castro called on Velasco’s supporters occupying leadership positions in the chamber to quit if they could not accept his rejection by a majority in the House as Cayetano’s replacement.

Castro dared Cayetano’s foes to “resign your leadership positions and let those who are willing to help and cooperate take over.”

A House majority early this week voted to reject Cayetano’s resignation, which he supposedly did to honor a term-sharing “gentlemen’s agreement” with Velasco.

“There is no shame in
admitting defeat at the hands of the better foe,” Castro stressed in a privilege speech, addressing Velasco supporters.

“Those who cannot or will not join us in this task as they are enslaved by their personal interest, I have one simple thing to say: dahil mahilig din naman sila manawagaan sa palabra de honor, panindigan na nila ito (since you are fond of calling for ‘word of honor’ then live up to it),” Castro said.

Castro also taunted Velasco and his allies for their lack of numbers.

“You didn’t even have the number when the President’s position was not yet clear. How much more now that it’s as clear that the President is happy with the current leadership and this issue on House leadership is over,” he pointed out.

“Even if you call for Speaker Cayetano’s resignation every day, the House majority will just bring him back also every day,” Castro argued.

Some House leaders, meanwhile, said the term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco is not binding to all members of the House of Representatives.

House leaders said this as they defended the decision of the House majority last Wednesday to reject Cayetano’s offer to relinquish the speakership in favor of Velasco as agreed upon during a meeting with President Duterte.

Deputy Speaker Danilo Fernandez and public accounts committee chairman Mike Defensor said the House majority was not a party to the agreement forged at the start of the 18th Congress to settle the speakership battle then, and therefore not required to follow the so-called “15-21 deal.”

“We respect the decision of the President to somehow try to negotiate the term sharing agreement. But the other members of the House, we are not bound by that agreement,” Fernandez stressed in an interview.

“The term sharing was an agreement between three people – not the entire Congress,” Defensor told “The Chiefs” on One News Channel Thursday night.

Under such premise, both ranking congressmen believe that the action of the House majority was not a defiance of the agreement brokered by Duterte.

“I don’t see any conflict with that because as far as the President is concerned what’s important for him is to achieve his legislative agenda,” explained Defensor of Anakalusugan party-list.

Fernandez, congressman of Laguna, said the President understands this, that’s why he respected the decision of the House majority. They said it’s Velasco’s fault that he couldn’t get enough support to propel him to the speakership.

“What Lord Velasco did not see is that there are 300 members of Congress. We are a collegiate body, and each and every member of the House has the right to vote and choose his own leader, and that’s what we did,” Fernandez stressed.

He also cited the difference in “working style and attitude” between Cayetano and Velasco.

“The problem with Velasco is he never reached out to each member of the House. He never worked with us. During the deliberations of the measures that we have approved, which were attended by members of the executive department such as Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2, as well as the different investigations that we have conducted, he was never there,” Fernandez explained.

Women lawmakers’ appeal

While Cayetano’s supporters appear determined to ignore the term-sharing agreement, at last two women legislators – AAMBIS-OWWA party-list Rep. Sharon Garin and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo – are insisting it should be honored.

“Term-sharing agreement is still valid. As far as I can remember the President’s instructions have not changed,” Garin said in an interview on ANC.

“Unless Duterte retracts his statement on the ‘15-21’ agreement, if you go against his wishes, are you still for the President?” she argued.

“The President wants the budget passed and the ‘15-21’ term sharing deal followed. I think the Oct. 14 date was a compromise reached by both parties. I have been in the Congress for 10-11 years; I think Congress working together with the executive is very beneficial for the country,” Garin, economic affairs committee chair, stressed.

Garin said she expects Velasco to pursue the term-sharing agreement if Cayetano refuses to resign as Speaker.

“I think any congressman can be a Speaker. And nobody has a monopoly on being the best congressman,” she maintained.

“The most recent developments remind us that our word of honor is our most valued political capital invested in the Filipino people today and for the future. In the just-untangled complicated situation, the leaders of the House of Representatives were reminded to keep their word of honor,” Tulfo stressed in a statement.

“Indeed, our word must be our bond, our real political capital. That word of honor, upheld in the past 15 months, would also lift the House and its members in the coming 21 months, where more daunting challenges lie ahead,” the administration lawmaker pointed out. Tulfo believed that Velasco would also be effective as Speaker.

“Congressman Velasco at 42 years old would be our youngest Speaker of the House of Representatives in recent national memory. Choosing an even younger leader now is a signal to all Filipinos that the House is a forward-looking institution and will invest more in the future of our country instead of being hampered by the excess baggage of the past,” she said.