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The uproar in the House of Representatives ended Tuesday when President Alan Peter Cayetano threw in the towel and resigned and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco assumed the highest seat in the House.
Velasco’s election as president was ratified in a session held in the plenary hall of Batasang Pambansa where 186 deputies voted, eliminating doubts about the legality of his leadership.
Previously, Cayetano questioned the validity of Velasco’s election, which was held remotely from the Batasang Pambansa facilities, the official seat of the Chamber’s sessions.
“With 186 affirmative votes, we have ratified the election of the new Speaker of the House, President Lord Allan Velasco,” said Vice President Conrado Estrella 3rd, president of the session.
Velasco said he had three main considerations: swift and legal approval of the 2021 national budget; restore the integrity and sense of political skill of the House; and honor the shared term agreement negotiated by President Rodrigo Duterte. He claimed that Cayetano’s refusal to comply with the deal resulted in “unnecessary confusion.”
“Our president is expressing the widespread sentiment that the interest of our people, especially at this time of the Covid-19 pandemic (coronavirus disease 2019) and the concomitant crises it has generated, is being sacrificed before the altar of personal greed. and politics. ambition, ”he said.
Velasco promised that this leadership “is for our people, for this august body and the institution that we call Congress, for the word of honor of our dear President Duterte, and for God who makes all this happen.”
Pampanga Fpurth District Representative Juan Pablo Bondoc, who stood as the majority leader, said that more than 200 congressmen expressed their support for Velasco, but that some were unable to register their votes due to pandemic restrictions.
Various parties also backed Velasco, with some highlighting his “humility” and “compassion.”
“We believe that the new president-elect is the one who can inspire and not divide, a person with the heart of a public servant… and not of a tyrant. And I know that with your leadership, the leadership that will be shared with all members, where the opportunities of all members will be advanced, and of course the interest of our districts will always be protected and cared for by the leadership of our House. ”Said the representative of the first district of Oriental Mindoro, Salvador Leachon.
1-Pacman Rep, Mikee Romero, of the 50-Member Party List Coalition, expressed his belief that Velasco “will lead us in the right direction.”
Representing the Liberal Party, the first district of Negros Oriental, Jocelyn Limkaichong, revealed that the party decided to recognize Velasco’s presidency after careful deliberation and guidance from its president, vice president María Leonor Robredo.
“The need for stable leadership during this time of pandemic is the main reason for this decision. The absence of stability in leadership will only result in delays of crucial legislation to save lives and livelihoods, including the General Appropriations Act of 2021, an outcome that the Filipino people cannot afford, ”he said.
The other parties that expressed support for Velasco were the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, and the regional blocs of the National Capital Region, Bicol, the Visayas, Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The deputy leader of the minority and representative of Bayan Muna, Carlos Isagani Zarate of the Makabayan bloc, urged the new leaders to “immediately work on the budget deliberations and examine the allocations that will really respond to the problems that our people now face.”
“As dust is decreasing in the speaker line, the House should maximize the resumption of budget deliberations to effectively combat the covid pandemic and not push for pig-like insertions or allocations,” Zárate said in a statement. .
He reiterated the need to prioritize funds to generate employment, health, agriculture and social assistance in the midst of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Joey Salceda, believes that Velasco’s leadership would be a “modernizing force for governance.”
“The new speaker is a workhorse, not a workhorse. He has very little appetite for political theater, and that attitude will extend to us on his leadership team, ”Salceda said in a statement.
Salceda, who drafted Velasco’s socio-economic legislative agenda, said they are preparing a “New Deal for a New Economy,” which would include “a review of the country’s energy policies towards sustainable development; a plan for constant and affordable access to the Internet, energy and infrastructure, and investments in the field; and a “future guarantee of the Philippine state” that includes labor, educational and financial sector reforms ”.
On Facebook
Cayetano verbally submitted his resignation as a speaker on Facebook.
“At this time, I verbally present my irrevocable resignation as Speaker of the Chamber of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said, adding that he was leaving office “with a clear conscience.”
“I have done the best I could, I have given everything, I leave without remorse and I do not hold a grudge in my heart towards anyone,” he said.
Cayetano apologized to President Duterte.
“As far as I know, I had to manage the budget. So, Mr. President, if I was wrong, my reading was incorrect, I misunderstood that you want to continue and I finish the budget, I apologize. “I never intended not to follow you (I thought I was going to manage the budget. If I didn’t understand, I apologize. It was never my intention to challenge you),” he said.
Addressing Velasco, Cayetano said: “You made me keep my word of honor. I am now exposing you to your word of honor. “
“Half of our leadership is its people. I put it on, but you, man, for a smooth transition. “Keep your promise to the president that nothing will be replaced (half of the House leadership are your supporters. Keep your promise to the president, don’t replace the people),” he said.
WITH QUEEN TOLENTINO
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