Leadership changes in Congress

Two weeks apart, the 20th Congress went through a complete revamp, starting from the top leadership in both chambers. The drastic leadership changes came after the traditional joint opening session of the Senate and the House of Representatives last July 28. It was on this day when President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) finally showed his fangs, so to speak.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) half-way through his administration, a visibly emotional President let out his utter dismay, if not extreme anger rarely seen in public. PBBM fumed over the congressional initiatives, insertions, errata, SOP, etc. that got through the previous Congress-approved 2025 budget.

“Mahiya naman kayo,” PBBM ranted but it was met roundly with applause from his audience, who included the leaders and members of the present Congress. Only a few of the 20th Congress did not deserve the presidential tongue-lashing because they were not part of the 19th Congress that passed what is called the “badly-mangled” 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Definitely, however, many of them among the present set of lawmakers were the same ones who comprised the 19th Congress because they got re-elected for another term in office.

Under our 1987 Constitution, a congressman/woman, including a nationally elected party-list representative, enjoys a three-year term of office, with a maximum of nine years in office or three consecutive terms. On the other hand, a senator has six years in office, with a maximum of 12 years or two consecutive terms.

These included the likes of now erstwhile Senate president Francis “Chiz” Escudero and ex-House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Barely three months from the SONA, both Escudero and Romualdez were forced out of their respective offices, albeit differently showed out the door.

Actually, the ousters of the Senate and House chiefs have long been coming, following the July 28 SONA.

Escudero is on his first term as senator which will end in June 2028 yet. He may either run for re-election or run for a higher public office. Escudero ran but lost as the VP running mate of then fellow senator Grace Poe in the May 2016 presidential election, won by former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Romualdez, on the other hand, is on his third and last term as congressman of the first district of Leyte. After his first three congressional terms in the past, Romualdez ran but lost in the Senate race during the May 2016 elections.

A senator or a House member can return to the next Congress. But he or she can only run again for a Senate or House seat after a break of three years. That’s why we have the likes of Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Bam Aquino making successful comeback bids in the present Congress.

To his credit, Sotto got elected by the majority of the senators who voted him to take over as new Senate President vice Escudero. Including Sotto, he got 15 votes, including the three other comebacking senators.

During his stint as Senate president in the two Congresses past, Sotto worked with four House Speakers. These were, in order, Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao City); ex-president turned congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga); ex-Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig City) and ex-Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque).

Alvarez headed the Lower House during the defunct 17th Congress until he was ousted through the alleged “meddling” of then Davao City mayor and now Vice President Sara Duterte. Installed to replace Alvarez was Mrs.Arroyo, a known Duterte ally.

If it is any consolation for Romualdez, he can compare notes with Alvarez, with now VP Sara as their common denominator. It was VP Sara’s consistent perorations against Romualdez and former House appropriations committee chairman Zaldy Co as “the only two persons who decided on the budget” of the government each year.

Before and after she stepped down from the Marcos Cabinet as concurrent Education secretary in July last year, VP Sara has been accusing Romualdez in particular as someone with an agenda for the next presidential elections in May 2028. With less dramatic flair but equally surprising was the House election of Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of the sixth district of Isabela as the new Speaker.

Coming from a political dynasty of Dy’s in Isabela, the new Speaker belongs to PBBM’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. It is the administration party that carried Marcos back to Malacañang Palace.

So who cares if VP Sara is still unappeased by Dy as new Speaker? After all, she is no longer part of the UniTeam of PBBM. If she so wishes, she can join the likes of
Dasmariñas City Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga, another political dynasty scion. Like her catty remarks against Speaker Dy, Barzaga also strongly opposed Romualdez. The neophyte solon went around last week to his fellow House colleagues with an offer to contest the speakership.

Using his GenZ “meow, meow” antics, Barzaga earned the ire of fellow House members still loyal to Romualdez. The 26-year-old congressman is now facing a complaint before the Ethics committee for his alleged “unparliamentary” behavior. I wonder what is acceptable parliamentary behavior.

Are these House members accused of congressional insertions that went into alleged “ghost” flood control projects exempted from Ethics complaints? Some of them were named as having allegedly profited or got as much as 20 to 30 percent “commission” or kickbacks from these unscrupulous contractors and corrupt district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The ruling House majority chose to ignore the rantings of Navotas City Rep.Toby Tiangco, who boldly stood up before them at the session hall of the Batasan. A veteran House leader, Tiangco has repeatedly questioned the “small committee” at the House that has lorded over the final budget bill submitted to Malacañang.

While in the past these were just rumors and whispers, these leadership changes in Congress must put an end to these shenanigans.