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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) – With barely a month to go in his term, moves to oust House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano are expected to increase within a day, after Vice President Paolo Duterte threatened to declare the position vacant due the 2021 budget conflict between legislators.
Over the weekend, the presidential son echoed the sentiments of his fellow congressmen who were disappointed “by the fate of their respective assignments” under the current leadership of the House.
Duterte issued a statement Sunday, confirming an earlier text message he had sent to one of his colleagues that sparked speculation about a reorganization of the Brewery House to oust Cayetano from office.
“The text message that I sent to another legislator, and which is now circulating, was an expression of my personal dismay at hearing the concerns of my fellow legislators,” Duterte said.
Duterte was referring to his own strong message stating that he will declare the speaker and vice president positions vacant today, September 21.
That message, which he himself said was intended for the chair of the assignments committee, Eric Yap, last week, read: “I told them I am keeping quiet because the Speaker no longer speaks to me, now I am affected. I will ask the Mindanao bloc to declare the post of Speaker and Vice Presidents vacant this Monday. Mindanao will not die because there is no budget.”
[Translation: I already told you, I am just keeping silent because the Speaker’s camp is not talking to me anymore, and now I am suddenly dragged into this. I will ask the Mindanao Bloc to declare the seat of Speaker and Deputy Speakers vacant this Monday.]Duterte said in his latest statement that legislators “have the power to change the course that the leadership is leading them,” and that he himself is willing to accept being part of the “casualties” or vice presidents who may be removed. He also said he did not want to get involved in the leaders’ clash.
“If members of Congress push for a change in House leadership, in reaction to their feelings, obviously I would be among the victims because I am a vice president. I am ready to accept the consequences.”
A motion to call for removal can be made when legislators meet for a plenary session in the afternoon.
Last week’s hearing on the Department of Public Works and Highways budget first sparked a clash between some lawmakers over the “unequal” allocation of infrastructure projects in their districts. The representative of Negros Oriental, Arnolfo Teves Jr., affirmed that only the city of Taguig, the territory of Cayetano, will receive $ 8 billion.
Cayetano has not yet finished his 15-month term, which will end on October 18. Marinduque’s representative, Lord Allan Velasco, will take office and will end the remaining 21 months as a speaker under his three-year term contract.
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