Paolo forming coalition for speakership bid

PDP-Laban, Hugpong back Ungab

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Crossing party lines, a new coalition of congressmen has been formed as the selection for the speaker of the House of Representatives in the 18th Congress heats up.

Among the supposed members of the so-called Duterte Coalition are the President’s son Rep. Paolo Duterte of the city’s 1st congressional district and colleague Rep. Isidro Ungab of the third district.

The Duterte Coalition released a statement yesterday warning Cabinet members against meddling in the selection of the speaker.

“It has come to our attention that certain presidential Cabinet members have their bet for speaker. Everyone should note that Cabinet members serve only on the basis of the trust and confidence of the President and should not participate in the selection of the Speaker,” the Coalition said.

Aside from the younger Duterte and Ungab, both contenders for the speakership, members of the new coalition include Rep. Vincent Garcia of Davao’s second congressional district and member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Davao Oriental Rep. Corazon Malanyaon (NPC), Compostela Valley Rep. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora of Lakas-CMD, Davao Occidental Rep. Lorna Bautista-Bandigan, Dumper party-list Rep. Claudine Bautista as well as Marino party-list Reps. Sandro Gonzales and Anton Lopez.

“Congressmen and congresswomen are elected and serve a mandate with an authority direct from the people. These lawmakers are the only rightful electorate for their leader,” the coalition said.

“Let us draw the line to define the independence of the executive and the legislative branches of the government,” they added.

The Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) alliance led by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio joined the newly formed coalition in denouncing the alleged interference of some Cabinet members in the bitter fight among administration allies for the coveted post of speaker.

They made the denunciation amid reports that some Cabinet officials were pushing for dividing the speaker’s three-year term between Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig and Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque, with Cayetano holding the post for 15 months and Velasco for 21 months.

They noted the repeated statements of President Duterte that he would not interfere in the election of the next speaker, since all aspirants are his friends.

They said as members of the HNP and its local affiliate Hugpong ng Tawong Lungsod (HTL), they “hope to unite the House” amid the divisive speakership row.

They made a “special call” to join the coalition to the three active pursuers of the speakership – Velasco, Cayetano and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

“We shall not serve one interest, we will work for all Filipinos. And we begin today,” they said.

Ungab is the “compromise candidate” for speaker endorsed by Mayor Carpio and her HNP in a bid to resolve the speakership quarrel.

In a separate statement rejecting the proposed Cayetano-Velasco term sharing, Carpio said, “It is counterproductive. It will slow down the last three years of the administration of President Duterte.” 

“In a term sharing situation, the House of Representatives will be racked with unseating the incumbent speaker, deceit, dissent and distrust. We do not know why the term sharing influencers do not seem to care what will happen to the House.

“They just want to install a speaker and do not think about what comes after. Let us leave the speaker issue to the members of the House of Representatives and the political parties, and that includes HNP and HTL,” the President’s daughter said.

Toe the line

Malacañang maintained the President will not interfere in the intramurals at the House.

Neither the President nor any of his Cabinet members are trying to push for any bet for the top House post, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said yesterday.

“Certainly not true,” Panelo said. “You know the President has already made a stand on the speaker role, hence, it behooves on the members of the Cabinet to toe the line, that is the position of the President.”

“We will not interfere. The executive branch will never intrude on the members of Congress as well as the judiciary,” he added.

A reliable source told The STAR that Cabinet members, in a meeting with the President after the meeting last Monday, supported the Cayetano-Velasco term sharing.

The source said the officials “feel that it would be easier for them to work with Alan Peter than Lord, since Alan Peter is their former colleague in the Cabinet.”

According to Cayetano, he and Velasco and later Velasco’s wife had agreed on dividing the three-year speaker’s term, but that his colleague from Marinduque subsequently turned his back on their agreement.

On the other hand, Velasco and Romualdez promptly responded to the call of Rep. Duterte and his Mindanao colleagues for unity.

“I join the call of Hugpong ng Pagbabago and Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod for congressmen to unite under the banner of the reform agenda set by President Duterte. I join hands with the Duterte Coalition in establishing a House of Representatives that truly reflects the will of our people,” Romualdez said.

He said he also fully supports the coalition’s position that House members “be given the freedom to elect their own leaders… based on the dictates of their conscience and in accordance with the wishes of their constituents.”?“Let every speakership aspirant subject himself to the scrutiny of his peers, who shall be the ultimate judge on who shall be the primus inter pares. May the best man win. Only a unified Congress, with a speaker chosen freely by its members, can help President Duterte realize his vision of lifting our people out of poverty through sustained economic growth,” he said.

For his part, Velasco said, “I am one with the call and aspirations of the newly formed coalition and implore my fellow lawmakers in Congress to set aside their personal ambitions and agenda… so together we can build a House of Representatives that is united and stronger, a House that truly represents the people.”

There was no immediate statement from Cayetano or his camp.

Compromise candidate

A congressman-leader of the ruling PDP-Laban told The STAR that they are accepting the HNP’s “compromise candidate,” Ungab.

The source said Velasco has already spoken to the President’s daughter about his group’s decision.

“We will try to convince the Party-list Coalition (PLC) to join us, since we have an informal alliance with them. We will take care of them. With their support, Congressman Ungab will most likely be the next speaker,” the lawmaker said.

Another source said Carpio has been calling her congressmen-friends to rally support for Ungab.

Rep. Mikee Romero, PLC president, admitted to having spoken to the President’s daughter.

“She proposed that Congressman Ungab be the compromise candidate for speaker,” he said.

The PDP-Laban earlier announced it is fielding Velasco as its candidate for speaker. But earlier this week, party officials have indicated that this may not be final and probably another candidate may be fielded, apparently in reaction to the latest developments in the House.

Party leader Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said the PDP-Laban will still field its candidate for speaker despite the developments.

“We welcome any effort to ‘unite’ the members of the House,” Pimentel said, referring to the statement of the Duterte Coalition.

“The PDP has been backing and will continue to back the bids for House speaker of its very qualified nominee(s) and for as long as we have a party member as a serious contender… we will continue to call for party discipline and unity in supporting our nominee,” he said.

Pimentel said PDP-Laban will continue to look for ways to resolve what he described as an “impasse” in the speakership race.

He said term sharing “is just one possibility of breaking the deadlock.”

Pimentel stressed a decent term sharing is acceptable to the party.

“If the terms of the term sharing deal have been negotiated well and publicly backed up by all concerned, then there will be no deceit, unseating, backstabbing involved,” Pimentel said.

What is important, Pimentel said, “is that the choice of the leadership of the House reflects the true will of its members.”  – With  Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero