Romero's removal as deputy speaker weakens sectoral representation — Party-list Coalition

MANILA, Philippines — The 54-member Party-list Coalition slammed the removal of their president, Rep. Michael Romero (1-PACMAN party-list), as deputy speaker amid the ongoing tussle for the speakership between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros) and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque).

“Our dismay at the removal of Rep. Michael Romero as deputy speaker reaches the heavens. How could he have been removed when no voting occurred? What kind of procedure is that?” the bloc said in a statement in Filipino.

Romero, an ally of Velasco who has backed the fulfilment of the term-sharing agreement between the Marinduque lawmaker and Cayetano, was removed Friday from his leadership post and replaced by Rep. Fredenil Castro (Capiz).

This development occurred just hours after Castro delivered a privilege speech daring Velasco and his allies to step down from their leadership posts if they cannot unite behind Cayetano.

The coalition said that the election of Romero as deputy speaker was “part of a delicate balance to ensure equitable and proportional representation of the party-lists and their constituencies in the House of Representatives.”

“The delicate balance, carefully negotiated at the start of the 18th Congress, now teeters on the precipice of instability because that deputy speakership was transferred to a district representative and there are now threats involving committee leadership posts,” it added.

The bloc, the second largest in the House, is now asserting its right to be physically present in the House plenary so they could immediately act on the “flurry of tactical maneuvers” happening there, instead of being mere spectators to the events in the plenary.

Party-lists are "national, regional and sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof" that are members of the House through proportional representation under the Party-List System Act. Initially meant to give marginalized sectors representation in Congress, the party-list system is no longer limited to groups from those sectors.

Pacquiao: No reason to remove Romero

1-PACMAN partylist founders Senator Manny Pacquiao and Rep. Enrico Pineda also decried Romero’s removal as deputy speaker, saying that they do not see any reason why he had to be stripped of his post.

Pineda also said that the Party-list Coalition supports the term-sharing agreement brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 between Cayetano and Velasco.

Under the agreement, Cayetano would sit as speaker for the first 15 months of the 18th Congress, followed by Velasco for 21 months. However, it is now unclear whether the deal would still push through.

Cayetano and Velasco met with Duterte last week to settle the term-sharing question, during which the president expressed his desire for the agreement to be enforced. But it is not clear as to when Cayetano would step down as speaker as his camp says that no date was agreed upon, while the Velasco camp insists on October 14.

Cayetano offered to resign from the speakership the following day after their meeting with Duterte, only for 184 House members to reject it.