MANILA, Philippines – Confusion over the real minority leader in the House of Representatives has stalled the chamber’s deliberations and the issue was the topic of debate on the first day of session.
“The House of the 17th Congress cannot democratically function without a minority leader,” Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman told the plenary early last night, as he urged the immediate recognition of Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat as minority leader.
Likewise, Lagman pointed out the House committee on rules “cannot function with only the majority represented.”
“It is indubitable and uncontestable that Baguilat is the new minority leader,” he reiterated.
Lagman, a Liberal Party member like Baguilat, argued that Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez cannot be recognized as opposition leader for the simple reason that he only got seven votes while Baguilat had eight.
“The victory of Baguilat is certain as eight is more than seven by any mathematical computation,” he explained, referring to the House tradition and practice where the runner-up for speaker is automatically the minority leader.
Lagman cited his case when he was minority leader in the 15th Congress (2010-2013), which was also the case in 16th Congress when San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora was the opposition leader – both of them garnered the second highest number of votes then.
But Buhay party-list group Rep. Lito Atienza – who voted for Suarez – countered that they would elect the minority leader today, owing to the fact that House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas had declared that those who voted for the minority belong to the minority.
“No, I beg to disagree,” Atienza argued, insisting that congressmen who voted for Suarez and Baguilat, along with the 20 House members who abstained, would meet and elect among themselves their minority leader.
Ilocos Norte Rep. Fariñas told Atienza yesterday that losing candidates in the speakership race would become the minority leader, and that those who voted for them will comprise their entire membership.
Fariñas didn’t categorically say though if this is the one who gets the second highest number of votes, except to say the “other candidates” – referring to the defeated candidates in a three-way race.
If Baguilat is finally recognized as the House minority leader, then lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Party (LP) during the Aquino administration would lead the opposition in both the Senate and the House under President Duterte.
In the Senate, Ralph Recto was elected minority leader.
The two did not join most of their party mates who had entered into an alliance with the pro-administration super majority blocs in both chambers.
In the Senate, Recto was the only candidate for opposition leader.
However, in the House, there were two: Baguilat and Suarez who belongs to former vice president Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
The two joined the race for speaker, which Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez won overwhelmingly with 251 votes.
The Ifugao lawmaker was deemed to have defeated his colleague from Quezon for the minority leadership.
Before the voting for the top House post started, Atienza asked Fariñas how the minority leader would be determined.
Fariñas told Atienza that under the rules of the House, members who vote for the winning candidate for Speaker belong to the majority, while those who support a losing candidate are part of the minority.
In case there are two or more losing candidates, he said their supporters would have to meet to choose who would be their leader. – With Jess Diaz, Helen Flores