MANILA, Philippines – House Speakership contender, Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez has backed out of the race and accepted President Rodrigo Duterte’s suggestion for him to serve as Majority Leader instead.
Romualdez’s decision was announced by Albay 2nd District Joey Salceda, the designated spokesperson of the legislators who were part of the pro-Romualdez bloc.
“The unanimous decision is to follow the President. No ifs. No buts. No unless. No except. Martin is accepting the position of majority leader,” he said.
Salceda said Romualdez has expressed support for Duterte’s choice for speakers despite garnering 167 signatures from his fellow lawmakers to win the speakership post.
Duterte on Monday announced that his bet for the speakership race of the House of Representatives of the 18th Congress are Taguig-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Alan Velasco, who will share the term.
Cayetano would serve as speaker in the first 15 months and will be succeeded by Velasco in the remaining 21 months of the term.
READ: Duterte: Cayetano, Velasco to share term as House Speaker
READ: Cayetano thanks Duterte, rallies colleagues to work for pro-Filipino measures
Salceda said Romualdez is now preparing for his work as the majority leader, which has a term of three years.
“We asked the incoming Majority Leader to develop a robust and dynamic relations with the new Speaker,” he said.
“With the new leadership, the House of Representatives is now ready to deliver efficiently and effectively the national agenda, contribute inputs to the agenda and mobilise national consensus and public support to the Duterte program that would sustain the economic takeoff of the Philippines and spread its fruits leaving no one behind,” he added.
The Party-list Coalition, which consists of 54 party-list representatives, said they plan to vote for Cayetano for now.
“For the 15 months, for now we don’t know what will happen, right?” said 1-PACMAN Party-list Representative Mikee Romero, who serves as the Coalition’s president.
If it pushes through, this would be the first time that the lower chamber of Congress will have two representatives sharing the term as House Speaker.
As of this time, lawmakers cannot say how will this set up affect the legislative agenda but assured that they won’t be a rubber stamp of the Duterte administration.
“We cannot be stamping pads especially with so many neophytes there. And that’s hard. I think it’s only the late strongman [Ferdinand] Marcos who can do that because of the situation,” said Abono Party-list Representative Conrado Estrella III.
Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) head Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and the members of the Duterte Coalition have so far remained silent on the President’s speakership endorsement. (with details from Grace Casin)
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