MANILA, Philippines – AnaKalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor on Wednesday apologized to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for showing to reporters a text message she supposedly sent to urge solons to vote for House speaker of their personal choice despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s endorsement of a term-sharing set-up between Taguig-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco.
“I apologize to Mayor Inday Sarah if I have in anyway offended her with my statement,” Defensor said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Defensor bared to reporters a screenshot of the supposed text message, which he said came from someone “very close” to the Davao City mayor.
The supposed text message read: “Hi sir! I have the go signal of Mayor Inday to publish. ‘Kaya nanawagan siya ngayon sa lahat ng mga Congressmen na bumuto ayon sa kanilang kagustuhan dahil ang kanya[ng] ama ay na set-up lamang ng mga gahaman na gabinete na kaalyado ni Cayetano – Mayor Inday.”
But Duterte-Carpio disowned the text message, told Defensor to identify his source and advised him to “stop sowing intrigue.”
READ: Sara Duterte disowns text message urging solons to vote for speaker according to conscience
READ: Sara Duterte dares Mike Defensor to name source of ‘text’ on speakership vote
Defensor also clarified that he did not say the text message came from the Davao mayor herself or from a congressman close to her.
“I did not say it came from her or a congressman. In fact, I should not have shown it because reading it again it had Inday Sara’s name. I did say though that there was another person who got the same message. I apologize Ma’am if I have offended you,” he said.
“It was wrong of me to drag her name unfairly on this matter,” he added.
The solon further said that the mention of the congressman was referring to the meeting with the party-list coalition where two party-list representatives discussed the Duterte Coalition’s continued fight despite the president’s announcement of his speakership bets.
Defensor said he cannot name the said congressman citing confidentiality of their discussion.
The lawmaker also admitted to contacting Duterte-Carpio through Atty. Charo Munsayac, on the speakership issue.
Duterte-Carpio earlier said Defensor reached out to her and made “last-minute requests” for Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez, to which she said she will not interfere.
“As for continuedly asking Mayor Inday Sarah through Atty. Charo Munsayac, I admit to this fact,” he said.
“I didn’t want to bother Atty. Charo, who is my lawyer and a good friend of the Mayor, as regards political concerns but the turn of events on the speakership fight has left me and many of my colleagues confused and nonplussed on the matter,” he added.
Defensor was part of a group of legislators supporting Romualdez’s bid for the highest position in the House of Representatives.
It can be recalled that on Monday (July 8), President Duterte endorsed the term-sharing scheme between Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco. He also suggested for Romualdez to take the House Majority Leader job instead.
Romualdez, despite garnering 167 signatures from his fellow solons for the speakership, has dropped out of the race and accepted the president’s suggestion.
Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab, who was earlier endorsed by Duterte-Carpio’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago party as speakership bet, has yet to issue any comment on the developments in the speakership race.
House members are set to elect the next Speaker when the session of the 18th Congress opens on the morning of July 22, the same day when Duterte will deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address.
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