May the best man win: Duterte meets ‘speakers’

TOKYO – President Duterte had a meeting here with the top three contenders of the race for speaker of the House of Representatives.

Duterte, who is attending a Nikkei economic forum, met last Wednesday with incoming Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Senator-elect and former presidential aide Christopher “Bong” Go, who revealed the election of the House leadership was discussed during the meeting, shared photos of the three contenders online.

The fourth speakership aspirant in the delegation is Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., who served as deputy national campaign manager of the ruling PDP-Laban during the recent election campaign. Gonzales is also a former House deputy majority leader.

Sources in Tokyo said the President did not make any commitment to Velasco, Romualdez and Cayetano, who were obviously soliciting his endorsement for their quest for the top House post.

Duterte and his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte have repeatedly said they will not meddle in the speakership fight and in the affairs of the House.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte will not side with anyone in the race for speaker.

“No, I don’t think he would interfere. In fact, I was present during one of the courtesy calls made by the two of them in the Palace and I heard the President say ‘you’ll have to do it yourselves boys, I will not interfere.’ May the best (man) win,” Panelo told ANC.

Asked whether Duterte had told him about his preferred speaker, Panelo replied: “No, as far as he’s concerned, these people know their jobs and that is to introduce laws, legislate laws for the betterment of our country and that’s it. And to win members of Congress to their selves.” 

“Whoever’s the choice of the members of Congress then he would be the speaker,” he added.

Panelo said the meeting in Tokyo was just a courtesy call and a private dinner composed of about a hundred people, including lawmakers and local officials.

When chanced upon by reporters here, Cayetano was tight-lipped about the meeting, saying they talked about “basketball.”

But in a statement, Cayetano said everyone in the meeting expressed their desire to help the administration. 

“I requested a more principled way to the speakership. Trusting the institution and protecting its integrity is essential to the reforms we are fighting for,” Cayetano said.

Aside from the four lawmakers, other aspirants include former speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez and outgoing Sen. Loren Legarda.

Alvarez has accused two aspirants that he did not name of allegedly offering P500,000 and P1 million to each of their colleagues for their votes.

Minority House Leader Danilo Suarez of Quezon challenged the former speaker to support his allegation.

“He (Alvarez) should prove it. He was elected speaker before, did he buy the votes of his colleagues? His accusation is damaging to the House and its members,” he said.

Suarez refuted insinuations the speakership race involves millions of pesos and that it is actually a competition among tycoons whose big businesses they aim to protect. 

“What I will not deny is the lobbying for chairmanship of committees,” Suarez admitted. “It’s happening now. So, it’s not about money. It’s about power,” the incoming Quezon governor asserted. 

Asked to respond to Suarez’s challenge, Alvarez said, “No congressman will admit it (receiving money from speakership aspirants).”

Alvarez was ousted and replaced by former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in July last year.

“When GMA was elected speaker, there was no vote buying,” Suarez said, referring to Arroyo.

Suarez added Romualdez already has enough support from members of the House in the incoming 18th Congress to win the speakership fight.

Incoming Pangasinan Rep. Ramon Guico III of the province’s fifth district said no money was offered to neophyte congressmen like him to support a particular candidate.

Asked about the alleged money allegedly being offered in exchange for votes ranging from P500,000 to P1 million in exchange for each congressman’s signature in the manifesto, Guico repeatedly said, “Wala, wala, wala (None).”

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s none of that sort,” he said.

Guico revealed his party Lakas-CMD already had a manifesto of support for Romualdez, their party member.

Guico said though he remains undecided as to whom he will support for speaker.

In declining yet to sign the manifesto, Guico pointed out he has not yet assumed his new post and is not yet given orientation.

“Right now, I don’t want to commit yet (my support) and I don’t want to mention who I am favoring just to be fair to everybody,” he said.

For her part, Legarda, who will represent Antique in the incoming 18th Congress, said she has no personal information about the alleged selling of House leadership. She added she also heard that people had denied the allegations.

“I’ve read about it in the media. I hope that it’s untrue because positions in government, even in the legislature, should not be for sale,” Legarda told the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

“So I read it but there are denials so we just give everyone the benefit of the doubt,” Legarda added.

Although she was mentioned as a possible contender, Legarda said she does not aspire for the top position of the House.

Legarda, however, expressed confidence she can take on the job, considering her work experience as a lawmaker for over 18 years in the Senate.

“I want to give it my best in the bigger House but speakership is not in my radar,” she said.

By the numbers

Insiders revealed at least 156 members of the House have expressed their preference and support for Romualdez.

The original 126 lawmakers who signed up were joined 30 more – a clear and categorical expression of the administration lawmakers’ trust in and respect for Romualdez. 

“Honestly, among us congressmen, if you ask us who do we really want as speaker, it will definitely be Martin. It is because he’s down-to-earth, low-key and very approachable. And most importantly, he listens to us,” a lawmaker who was among the signatories told The STAR.

Reelected Rep. Jericho Nograles of party-list Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta, for his part, said the 54-strong Party-List Coalition Foundation (PCFI) will be a force to reckon with in the speakership race because they will be voting as a bloc. 

In an interview over TV-5’s “Agenda,” Nograles said there are 54 members of PCFI that is now headed by billionaire Rep. Mikee Romero of party-list 1Pacman. 

Nograles said their group now constitutes the second biggest political bloc in the House, next to the ruling and dominant PDP-Laban party. 

Out of the 302 incoming members of the 18th Congress, 95 are from PDP-Laban, 54 are from PCFI, 37 from the Nacionalista Party, 33 from the Nationalist People’s Coalition, 28 from the National Unity Party. 

Eighteen from the once powerful Liberal Party, five from Lakas-CMD, six from the militant left-wing Makabayan bloc, while the remaining 16 belong to various political parties, some of whom are independents.  – With Jess Diaz, Delon Porcalla, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Eva Visperas