MANILA, Philippines – Another group of members of the House of Representatives defected yesterday to the camp of incoming Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
The latest defection further strengthened Alvarez’s quest to replace incumbent Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who has conceded that incoming president Rodrigo Duterte’s choice would get the top House post.
The newest defector is the Visayas bloc, led by reelected Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez. Many of its members belong to the ruling Liberal Party (LP).
Benitez and 30 members of his group signed a manifesto committing their support to Alvarez and the incoming Duterte administration.
“We, the members of the Visayan Bloc, extend our cooperation and support to the incoming Duterte administration in its pursuit for the development and enactment of pro-people and developmental policies and programs for our country,” they said in their manifesto.
“The Bloc also manifests its support to the speakership bid of Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez for the 17th Congress,” they said.
The group’s defection followed that of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and Lakas, the ruling party during the Arroyo administration.
Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas, who was a loyal defender of administration standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II during the election campaign, was among LP members who signed the manifesto.
The other LP signatories are Lucy Torres-Gomez of Leyte, Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo, Rene Relampagos of Bohol, Cesar Sarmiento of Catanduanes, Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, Paolo Javier of Antique, Gerard Gullas of Cebu and Richard Garin also of Iloilo.
Several neophyte members of the Benitez group also expressed their support for Alvarez.
They are Lucille Nava of Guimaras, Henry Ong of Leyte, Raul Tupas of Iloilo, Melecio Yap of Negros Occidental, Manuel Sagarbarris of Negros Occidental, Greg Gasataya of Bacolod City and Arnie Teves of Negros Oriental.
Outgoing Reps. Evelio Leonardia of Bacolod City and Pryde Henry Teves of Negros Oriental, the newly elected mayors of Bacolod and Bayawan City, respectively, signed the Visayan Bloc manifesto.
Other House blocs that have defected to the Alvarez side include the Party-list Coalition, Nacionalista Party and National Unity Party.
The defectors currently belong to the LP-led majority coalition in the House.
Swing vote
On the other hand, another group is also talking to the LP bloc in an effort to vote for an alternative Senate president.
According to Sen. Vicente Sotto III, he is being considered as a candidate for Senate president by a group of nine to 11 senators to go up against either Sens. Aquilino Pimentel III or Alan Peter Cayetano, both allies of Duterte.
Sotto clarified he was not aspiring for the Senate presidency, but was eyed by a group of senators as someone who could best represent “a genuine alternative” to the administration candidate because of his neutrality and ability to work with anyone.
He said there are nine senators who are solidly backing him as Senate president and two who have indicated that they wanted to join him but have not fully committed their support.
“We can provide for not only a sincere working relationship (with the incoming president) and an independent Senate,” Sotto said.
“There is a big group that wants to maintain the integrity and independence of the Senate. But of course there should be a good working relationship with the incoming president and not an opposition (Senate),” he added.
Sotto explained he has always operated on getting a consensus in every decision made in the Senate, whether as an ordinary member or as majority or minority leader.
“My mentality is consensus leadership. I would never decide unilaterally. I would make sure that all decisions of the Senate would be made with a consensus,” he said.
Sotto said the nine to 11 senators backing him as Senate president could still grow if the other candidates seeking the post fail to come up with the necessary numbers to secure the seat.
Apart from Sotto, at least three other senators have either confirmed or are rumored to be seeking the Senate presidency.
Pimentel has announced his intention to run for Senate president while Cayetano and incumbent Senate President Franklin Drilon are also reportedly in the running.
Sotto admitted the LP bloc is formidable as the party with the most number of members in the Senate.
Apart from Drilon, the LP also has in the senators-elect Francis Pangilinan, Leila de Lima, Joel Villanueva, incumbent Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and reelected Sen. Ralph Recto.
Also allied with the LP is senator-elect Risa Hontiveros, who ran exclusively under the ticket of the LP in the May 9 elections.
“If you have a group of at least four then that is very formidable. That group could serve as a swing vote,” Sotto said. – Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy