Solons weigh in on term-sharing at House

In a news forum, Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Michael Defensor said the House is doing “very well” under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and the chairpersons of the critical House panels. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — Two ranking House members on Tuesday expressed their personal views on the term-sharing agreement brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte for the Speakership, with one saying the continuity of the current leadership is for the best interest of the country while the other saying fresh elections are needed to determine the issue.

In a news forum, Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Michael Defensor said the House is doing “very well” under the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez and the chairpersons of the critical House panels.

“Napakaganda ng takbo ng Kongreso (Congress is running well). So why would we change the direction and track of Congress and our country when we are doing very well?” Defensor said.

The chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts said there is always the distinct possibility that the laws being heard in Congress – including President Duterte’s legislative agenda – would be caught in the confusion that always ensues during a leadership change.

“You know, politics is politics. When you have a change of leadership, there will be changes along the way, including the other committees. Adjustment na naman (There will be adjustments again),” Defensor said.

“For the best interest of the country, the best interest of Congress, we should continue with the leadership of Speaker Cayetano and the rest of the leadership of the House,” he said.

Defensor said he is only expressing his point of view, and he has nothing personal against the other candidates vying for the Speakership.

He added that while he never campaigned for Cayetano before the term-sharing agreement, finishing President Duterte’s legislative agenda is of utmost importance.

“That is my point of view. I have nothing personal against the other colleagues in the House. Ako, para lang sa interest ng bansa (For me, it is only for the interest of the nation). The President has only three years and we still need to finish his legislative agenda. All of these would take a lot of work and a lot of time,” Defensor said.

On the other hand, ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap said if ever there will be changes in the House leadership, elections should determine who will be Speaker.

“Ang stand namin dito ay kung magkakaroon ng sinasabing term-sharing, magkakaroon ng election siguro para sa Speakership (if there will be term-sharing, there should be elections for the Speakership),” he said in the same news forum.

“Kung sino ang maboboto ng majority, sya yung magiging next Speaker natin (Whoever is elected by the majority, he will be our next Speaker),” Yap added.

The chair of the House Committee on Games and Amusements pointed out that elections are needed because there was no signed agreement on term-sharing, and the agreement was only a verbal agreement among the concerned parties.

He also noted that when they voted last July for the Speakership, they were never consulted on the issue of term-sharing.

The lawmaker said it should be the House members who will decide on who will be their Speaker.

“Sa akin naman kasi nasa members yan. Kung yung iba gusto nila ng election, kung gusto niila pumili ng Speaker, nasa sa kanila iyon. Basta ako, isang boto lang naman ako. So kung ano ang mapagkasunduan ng majority, susunod naman tayo (For me. It’s up to the members. If the others want an election and choose a Speaker, it’s up to them. I am only one vote. Whatever is agreed upon by the majority, I will obey),” Yap said.

President Duterte brokered the term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco in the run-up to the Speakership election on July 22.

Under the agreement, Cayetano would hold the post for 15 months, or up to October next year, after which Velasco takes over.

In the same agreement, Romualdez, who was also a strong contender for the Speakership, will be the House Majority Leader of the 18th Congress for three years.

The possibility of the term-sharing agreement being scuttled was first brought out by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga following Cayetano’s 64-percent and 62-percent approval and trust ratings in the Pulse Asia survey.

“If Speaker Cayetano sustains his good performance as shown by his high trust and approval ratings in the latest Pulse Asia quarterly report, there would be a groundswell among House members and the public for him to stay on,” he said.

“I am sure he will sustain that performance. There is no reason for him not to. So why change or swap horses in midstream? We might as well retain him as our Speaker for three years until June 30, 2022,” Barzaga said.