Velasco now has the backing of the majority of the House, says ally

MANILA, Philippines – An ally of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco claimed Sunday that President Alan Peter Cayetano’s presumed successor had secured the backing of more than half of the 300 members of the House of Representatives, which, if True, it could change the situation. battle for the leadership of the chamber.

One hundred and sixty more or less. Members are now realizing the real state of [the House] and its members, ”said Salvador Leachon, representative of Oriental Mindoro, when asked by the Inquirer how many members of the Chamber had pledged to join the Velasco camp.

The president’s side, however, was able to console itself with the 184 to 1 vote last Wednesday when the House summarily rejected Cayetano’s offer to resign in what his loyalists characterized as the consummation of the shared term agreement he had with Velasco. A manifesto with 203 members expressing their support for the continuation of the reign of legislator Taguig was also distributed.

But Leachon, leader of the Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan Party (PDP-Laban) that has been defending Velasco’s candidacy, suggested that the situation was now fluid.

Disenchantment

He cited a number of factors causing disenchantment in the House, including “problems of unequal treatment and [a] Mindless and vindictive attitude towards those who do not align with their way of management. “

“That they want to change. That is the main reason so many are starting to jump ship. Not to mention that it is really correct to comply with the [word of honor]Leachon said in a Viber message.

Leachon warned Cayetano of “growing inadvertent resentment” in the majority coalition as a result of the power struggle in the House of Representatives compounded by dissatisfaction with the uneven allocation of funds in the 2021 budget.

Leachon said “repressively draconian maneuvers” by the House leadership, including the unceremonious removal of 1-Pacman Rep. Michael Romero as vice president on Friday, were causing disharmony in the 300-member House.

“Worse still, if they carelessly persisted, the growing unnoticed resentment among congressmen, particularly on the issue of their vastly uneven district budget allocation, could then be disproportionate to the detriment of ongoing budget deliberation,” he told the Inquirer in a message from Viber.

It could tarnish the image of the House of Representatives, said Leachon, who also lost his job as vice president in March for backing Velasco in an alleged impeachment plot against Cayetano.

But Vice President Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. said Velasco’s side should “move forward” with the shared term agreement, arguing that the current president received a new term when the House voted 184-1 to reject his resignation offer last week. .

“It is time for Velasco and his wrong group to face reality, go ahead and work with the leadership of the House under President Alan (Cayetano), since this issue has already been resolved,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

He said the Sept. 30 vote “has already sent a strong and clear message that this issue is over, as most of our peers want a status quo in the House activist leadership that has fostered a principled association with the House. Duterte administration “.

The Camarines Sur legislator pointed to the statement by presidential spokesman Harry Roque quoting President Duterte as saying that he was adopting a policy of nonintervention towards the “internal matter” of the chamber.

But Leachon insisted that the rotation must still occur on October 14, the date agreed by Velasco and Cayetano during their meeting in Malacañang last week.

“On the bright side, however, we are hopeful that the current leadership in their self-reflection will lead them to realize that the shared constitutional duty of our congressmen goes beyond our unilateral control. [on] power, ”Leachon said.

He said that Velasco, despite the bitter exchanges with the side of the Speaker, “would like to extend his thanks to Speaker Cayetano for having a commendable period as Speaker and assure him that there would be no reorganization in the presidencies of the committees.”

Leadership change

But the leadership change has yet to occur, he said.

“Ultimately, for mutual cooperation and in deference to the Office of the President, we hope that President Cayetano will resign on October 14 and hand over authority to Congressman Velasco, and both will display true gentleman traits,” Leachon said. .

Also on Sunday, another Cayetano critic, Buhay Lito Atienza’s representative, claimed that the president was “losing his control and influence” in the chamber for refusing to comply with the shared term agreement.

“Alan (Cayetano) has lost a lot of support,” Atienza said.

Cayetano is a member of the Nationalist Party, and also has among his allies the National Unity Party, Lakas-CMD, the Liberal Party and even the minority bloc.

But Atienza said he was confident Velasco could put the numbers together against Cayetano with the backing of his party, PDP-Laban.

Velasco also has the support of the Popular Nationalist Coalition and the party lists bloc, led by Romero, a Velasco ally.

“All he (Velasco) has to do is call the smaller groups,” Atienza said. INQ

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