House divided: Struggle for the speakership

The minority bloc in the House of Representatives unanimously elects Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Party-lit) as new minority leader.

The 22-member minority bloc says they will continue to support "legislations for the people through constructive criticisms and not as obstructionists."

"With the new leadership under Rep. Paduano, the Minority Bloc is assuring the House and the Filipino people that it will remain loyal to the principles that mould the group in fiscalizing and in providing a potent force to implement check and balance in the House of Representatives," the group says in a statement.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque says President Rodrigo Duterte has called Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco to a meeting in Malacañang.

The gathering of House members at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City has declared the post of speaker vacant and has elected Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque) their speaker.

Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano has maintained that the gathering is a "fake session" and that elections can be held tomorrow, when the House resumes its session as called for by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The election for speaker under the '15-21' term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco would have been on the 14th but Cayetano moved to suspend the session early.

In a press conference at the House of Representatives, Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros) says he still has the support of 205 members of the House and calls the gathering at the Celebrity Sports Plaza a few kilometers away a "fake session."

He adds that if you add his 205 and the 187 claimed by the Velasco faction, that would be more than the 299 members of the House.

He stresses that President Rodrigo Duterte's call for Congress to hold a special session is to work on the budget bill.

Members of the Velasco faction of the administration at the House of Representatives attempt ti hold a session at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City, with Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro) arguing that the House can hold plenary sessions anywhere if there is a quorum present.

The House session is currently suspended after Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano move for suspension after passing the General Appropriations bill on second reading. 

President Rodrigo Duterte has since called on Congress to come back for a special session to pass the budget bill.

In a manifesto shared to media, the Velasco faction claims to have the support of 187 House members.

"[In] accordance with Section 13, Rule 3 of the Rules of the House of Representatives of the 18th Congress, we call to assemble, move to cast our vote to declare the position of speaker vacant on Monday, October 12,2020," the manifesto reads.

A manifesto shared by Rep. Lord Allan Velasco’s camp claims that 187 lawmakers have agreed to declare the speakership vacant and elect him as the new speaker today. | via @XaveGregorio pic.twitter.com/D2jbpAAdFv

— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) October 12, 2020

That rule holds that "[t]he position of Speaker may only be declared vacant through nominal voting by a majority vote of all the Members. In cases when all offices are declared vacant, the incumbent Secretary General shall preside over the proceedings of the House only for the purpose and until the election of a new Speaker."

The 187 members in the Velasco faction constitute a majority of the House's 299 members.
 

The administration faction backing Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque) for the House speakership will attempt to unseat Speaker Alan Cayetano on Monday, October 12, News5 reports.

Allies of Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco will attempt to unseat Speaker Alan Cayetano today. Sources tell @News5PH that they have garnered enough votes to install Velasco as the new leader of the House.

— Ria Fernandez TV5 (@RiaMFernandezTV) October 11, 2020

Follow this thread for updates and the unfolding drama surrounding the struggle for leadership of the House of Representatives between factions of the administration coalition.