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MANILA, Philippines – Marinduque representative Lord Allan Velasco denied on Friday that he was behind alleged plots to overthrow Taguig-Pateros representative Alan Peter Cayetano as Speaker of the House of Representatives, as he accused Cayetano of “blatantly resorting to and shamelessly “to attack him and spread lies about him in the oratory dispute in the lower house.
In a video uploaded to his Facebook page, Velasco said he chose to remain silent even as alleged attacks to smear him have intensified over the past month.
But now, he said, it is time to tell the truth and “correct all the coordinated lies and misinformation that are intended to undermine the shared term agreement” between him and Cayetano.
“In his desperate attempt to cling to power and tighten his grip on the leadership of the House, President Cayetano brazenly and blatantly resorted to attacking me and spreading lies. One of those many lies they were spreading was that I was inactive and tamad daw ako (who was lazy), ”Velasco said.
He described this as a “complete falsehood”, saying that he has worked silently and constantly away from the camera.
“[The accusation] that he has been conspiring to overthrow President Cayetano defies reason, “added Velasco, and said that the start of his 21-month term as president of the Chamber is nearing and that he is a man who lives up to his word.
“My 21-month term begins on October 14. That is the deal and I have respected it ever since. The coup plot is a low shot, “he said.
Velasco was referring to the shared term agreement between him and Cayetano that was negotiated by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019. Under the agreement, Cayetano would serve as president in the first 15 months of the XVIII Congress, while Velasco would assume the position of the 21 months remaining.
But “despite the lack of will of President Cayetano,” Velasco assured Duterte that he will comply with the shared term pact.
“Let’s stop dramatizing and work to pass a budget that responds to the needs of the people,” he also said.
Cayetano previously accused Velasco of being involved not only in an alleged recent coup attempt against him, but also in three or four other attempts in the past.
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