Cayetano apologizes for ‘misinterpreting’ the president’s intentions in the line of speakers

Taguig’s representative Alan PeterCayetano (screenshot from his Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines – Taguig’s representative, Alan Peter Cayetano, apologized Tuesday for “misinterpreting” President Rodrigo Duterte’s intentions by resigning as leader of the House of Representatives moments after the body ratified the election of its new president, the representative of Marinduque, Lord Allan Velasco. .

“Mr. President, if I made a mistake, my reading was incorrect and I misunderstood your intentions for the end of the [2021] budget, I apologize, “he said.

“It was never my intention to disobey you,” Cayetano said on Facebook Live outside his residence in Taguig.

Change of tide

Members of the House said Cayetano’s downfall was down to a number of factors, the main of which was the perception that he had lost the president’s support, compounded by discontent over some of his actions, especially his impeachment without ceremonies of those loyal to Velasco from their positions and the hasty suspension of the session on October 6 to avoid an inauguration.

Cayetano’s power move, however, drew a strong reprimand from the true power broker in the 301-member chamber, Duterte, who called Congress to a special session from October 13 to 16 to approve the P4.5 budget. trillions on time.

The president’s action was taken by Cayetano’s indecisive peers as the tide turned. A House source said lawmakers interpreted it as giving Velasco the “window of opportunity” to stage a seizure of power by calling a special session on Tuesday, rather than Monday.

“It cannot be denied that there were signals coming from the actions and statements of key political leaders that showed their position on the issue, even without explicit statements,” Muntinlupa representative Ruffy Biazon told the Inquirer.

“Those with keen political acumen made decisions based on their reading of those signals,” he said.

Another sign that emboldened Velasco’s group on Monday was the coverage of Radio Televisión Malacañang, which is in charge of the official documentation of the president’s activities. The team broadcast the events inside Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City live, reportedly at the request of a Velasco loyalist.

Velasco’s allies installed him as a speaker in what critics called a “rump assembly” at the sports club, which, while irregular, was legitimized Tuesday by ratification by 186 votes in the plenary hall.

“The problem is trust. Members lost trust [in] Cayetano, hence the declaration of the vacant position, ”said PBA representative Jericho Nograles.

“That confidence he gave to Velasco,” he told the Inquirer.

Velasco, leader of the PDP-Laban and supported by the Popular Nationalist Coalition and the party list bloc, was initially disadvantaged by the superior numbers of the formidable Nationalist Party-National Unity Party alliance that backed Cayetano.

Ace in the hole

Lakas-CMD, led by the influential majority leader Martín Romualdez, split into two factions, with the majority opting for the new leadership. A House source said former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was instrumental in one of the small meetings leading up to Monday’s coup.

Then Velasco played his ace up his sleeve: a friendship with the president’s family, especially his daughter, Davao city mayor Sara Duterte, who allegedly made calls to party and bloc leaders over the weekend.

Sunday was the perfect time to post a photo of Velasco at a table with the mayor of Davao, making the tongue flick and increasing the confidence of his followers.

Sara Duterte later issued a statement that her regional Hugpong ng Pagbabago party “respected” the shared term agreement between Cayetano and Velasco.

A source in the Velasco camp said it was not necessary for the president’s daughter to call members of the House, as she did when she helped orchestrate Arroyo’s takeover against President Pantaleón Álvarez in July 2018.

“What was important was the perception that we have their support,” said the source.

The moral advantage

In his Facebook Live speech Tuesday morning, Cayetano claimed that Velasco only had 121 votes as of Monday night, hours after Velasco took office as the new president of the assembly. In contrast, he said, “we had 152, 153 [votes] and they were still looking for more signatures to make it look like they really had 187. “

However, by Tuesday morning, support for Velasco had skyrocketed.

Biazon said another factor in Velasco’s favor was that he had the moral advantage as the other party in the shared-term agreement, from which Cayetano wanted out.

“I think it was essential for President Velasco to make the right decisions on how to react to the situations faced by his attempt to claim what was in the shared term agreement,” he said.

“He did not give in to emotional outbursts or impulsive decisions, but remained calm and focused. He consulted with his colleagues and listened to their advice. Above all, he stood firm but unconfronted. In the end, he won the support of the majority of the members, ”Biazon said.

Albay’s representative, Joey Salceda, said the 42-year-old Velasco’s other strengths were his “youth, energy and dynamic curiosity.”

“The new Speaker is a workhorse, not a show horse. He has very little appetite for political theater, and that attitude will spread to us on his leadership team, ”Salceda said.

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