House drama: allies reject Cayetano’s offer to resign

PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT President Duterte meets with House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco in Malacañang on Tuesday night for the two men to honor their shared term agreement to the leadership of the House. The agreement appears to have been annulled when Cayetano won the equivalent of a vote of confidence in the chamber on Wednesday. —PHOTO OF MALACAÑANG

MANILA, Philippines – President Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday offered to resign amid a leadership crisis in the House of Representatives, retiring ahead of speaker rotation under a shared term agreement with his presumed successor , the representative of Marinduque, Lord Allan Velasco.

But Cayetano’s offer to resign was rejected in a vote by members of the House, a day after President Duterte allegedly urged the two lawmakers to honor the 2019 agreement that he himself had negotiated.

During a pause in deliberations on the proposed budget of 4.5 trillion pesos for 2021, Cayetano took the floor of the Chamber to reveal details of the meeting between his side and Velasco’s with the president in Malacañang on Tuesday night.

Save budget from delays

Claiming that Velasco’s side was so insistent on taking the reins of the House immediately, Cayetano said he was offering to resign to avoid any protracted dispute over House leadership during budget deliberations.

“I will not be a party to defraud the president, so I offer you my resignation here and now, my dear colleagues. My fate and the fate of the 2021 budget and the fate of the House leaders is in your hands, ”he said.

But Cayetano’s allies quickly rejected his offer and called for a roll call vote on the motion by Anakalusugan’s representative, Michael Defensor.

With 184 votes in favor and one against, with nine abstentions, the Chamber rejected Cayetano’s resignation.

In a 40-minute speech, Cayetano said he was instructed by Mr. Duterte to reveal the details of Tuesday night’s meeting, including details of the discussions during a private meeting between him, the president, Velasco, and the senator. Christopher “Bong” Go. .

According to Cayetano, Velasco and his allies, in many cases, broke their shared term agreement and announced the alleged resolution of the leadership dispute.

“Last night’s meeting was not only about speech, but also about matters of great national importance. The president clearly instructed me and Congressman Velasco, and quoting: ‘Alan, it’s up to your office to make an announcement.’

“I entered the meeting trusting in the wisdom of the president. As in July 2019, last night agreements were made again, and as in previous instances, they were immediately breached by Congressman Velasco, ”he said.

The support of the majority

Cayetano said that in the private meeting he assured Velasco that he would honor the shared term agreement they forged in July 2019 if Velasco could demonstrate that he had the support of the majority of the House members.

Under that agreement, Cayetano would serve as Spokesperson for the first 15 months of the XVIII Congress, then Velasco would take command and lead the Chamber in the remaining 21 months of the period.

Cayetano said he requested that his term be extended until December in order to bring the 2021 budget through the House, but Velasco refused, even with the president urging him to accept.

“The budget should not be delayed as it will affect the entire government recovery program. If there is a budget in the last 50 years that is very important, this is it ”, he said.

He also suggested that the speech change be made after his 50th birthday on October 28, but Velasco refused.

Distracted house

During the meeting, Cayetano said he hinted that Velasco showed a lack of competence to lead the Chamber during the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Cayetano regretted that instead of focusing on passing the budget, the House is distracted by a leadership crisis because Velasco refuses to comply with his leadership change agreement in November.

There was no immediate comment from Velasco.

Malacañang declined to comment.

“We would not like to comment on that. That is a purely internal matter for the House of Representatives, ”said presidential spokesman Harry Roque, citing the president.

Roque reiterated that Mr. Duterte wanted Cayetano and Velasco to honor their shared term agreement, but that the President could do nothing if Velasco did not have the numbers.

—With a report from Leila B. Salaverria

Read next

EDITOR’S SELECTION

MOST READ

Don’t miss the latest news and information.