Fariñas: I can't abandon Alvarez
MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas (Ilocos Norte), former majority leader, has joined a minority bloc in the House of Representatives to be with Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte), ousted speaker.
Fariñas, in a television interview, admitted that Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. (Surigao del Sur) assured him that he could retain his post as majority floor leader even if Alvarez would be ousted.
The Ilocos Norte lawmaker, however, chose to join his PDP-Laban partymate in the minority bloc.
"I'm a loyal person. I can't abandon my leader so if you replace him then I'll go with him," Fariñas, a member of the Liberal Party during the Aquino administration, told ANC's "Headstart" on Wednesday.
According to Fariñas, Rep. Danilo Suarez (Quezon) has been informing him of plans to replace Alvarez as early as March.
READ: Quimbo-led faction now largest minority bloc
"They wanted to replace the speaker in the way that they did replace Jose de Venecia when they just cut off the head, installed (Prospero) Nograles and everybody kept their position and I told them I'm not like that," Fariñas said.
Fariñas narrated how he called for a meeting with PDP-Laban lawmakers following a caucus on July 23, hours before Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo replaced Alvarez.
He admitted that they could not stop Alvarez' ouster as party leaders already met and have given their support to Arroyo.
"I didn't call anybody. In fact, when I called a meeting I told them I think the numbers are underside, you better go," Fariñas said.
Fariñas, Alvarez and 12 other former members of the majority of the House were accepted into a "minority" bloc on Tuesday. Their group os one of three factions contending to be recognized as the minority bloc in the chamber.
The group of Suarez and the group of Rep. Romero Quimbo (Marikina City) are also claiming to be the legitimate minority bloc.
Fariñas and Quimbo have warned that they would go to the Supreme Court of the House recognizes Suarez as the minority leader. Both lawmakers insist that the group of Suarez became part of the new majority when they voted for Arroyo.
House members are reported to be staying after the SONA to elect a new speaker. Earlier, a power struggle in the House leadership happened between Rep. Gloria Arroyo and Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
Presidential daughter Sara Duterte was rumored to be behind the push for Arroyo to lead the lower chamber.
House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano says P100 million was not allocated for congressmen, but for districts in the 2020 budget. The amount, he says, was varying based on submissions of the representatives.
He insists, however, that the amount is not pork barrel, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Pork barrel was the lumpsum funds legislators received supposedly for projects in their districts. Controversies, however, point to massive corruption of the funds siphoned through bogus non-government organizations.
After yesterday's election that named President Duterte's running mate Alan Peter Cayetano the new House speaker, Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante (Manila) wins the election installing him as new minority leader.
The minority bloc chose Abante at a convening of members. He was elected in mere seconds and faced no objections.
Abante was one of the two candidates for House speaker formally nominated at the opening of Congress yesterday ahead of the joint session with Senate and the president's State of the Nation Address. (PTV photo)
President Rodrigo Duterte publicly naming who the next speaker of the House of Representatives will erode the lower house's independence, Rep. Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna party-list) says after the president's announcement that Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig) would share the term of speaker with Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque).
"As expected, contrary to his previous statements letting members of the House to freely choose their leaders, Pres. Duterte 'stepped in' in the House speakership race to salvage his already` fractious coalition and, hopefully, secure its survival until 2022," he says in a press statement.
Zarate, a member of the Makabayan bloc at the House, says even with the term-sharing agreement brokered by the president, "the different factions and their political and economic backers are expected to still wage a war of dominance in the coming days, especially with 2022 presidential elections already in the political horizon."
He adds: "With this politics of convenience and presidential intervention, the independence of the House is again severely compromised and the interest of the majority of the people sacrificed."
Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, the president's son, says he is no longer vying for the top spot at the House of Representatives.
"I have personally spoken to President Rodrigo Duterte Thursday night in Davao City regarding my plan to run for speaker of the House of Representatives. We both agreed that this will not be the right time for me to be Speaker and I can still help his administration from the House in a different capacity," the younger Duterte says.
"As President of Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, I will support the bid for speakership of Congressman Isidro Ungab from our sister party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago," he adds.
As the rivalry for the speakership heats up, presidential children Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao City) and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte form a "Duterte Coalition" as a call for unity at the House of Representatives. Paolo leads regional party-list Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod while Sara leads Hugpong ng Pagbabago.
Speaker hopefuls Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig), Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque) and Martin Romualdez (Leyte) are also being urged to be part of the coalition. Velasco, however, is the endorsed nominee of ruling party PDP-Laban.
Other members of the coalition are Reps. Isidro Ungab (Davao City), Vincent Garcia (Davao City), Corazon Malanyaon (Davao Oriental), Manuel Zamora (Compostella Valley), Lorna Bautista (Davao Occidental), Claudine Bautista (Dumper party-list), Sandro Gonzales (Marino party-list) and Anton Lopez (Marino party-list).
Velasco and Romualdez, meanwhile, also welcome the formation of the coalition in separate statements.
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