MANILA – Taguig representative Alan Peter Cayetano was voted as House of Representatives speaker at the start of the 18th Congress on Monday.
Cayeteno got the seat after being voted by 266 lawmakers while Manila 6th district representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. got 28 votes.
“We will do what is right so we are a Congress that is relevant, responsible and reliable,” Cayetano said. “Sana po ay maging worthy at sana po ay tulungan niyo ‘ko para sa loob ng 15 buwan ay mapagsilbihan natin ang ating mga kababayan ng mabuti.”
Presidential son and Davao City 1st District representative Paolo Duterte nominated Cayetano, seconded by Marinduque representative Lord Allan Velasco and Leyte representative Martin Romualdez, who along with Cayetano aspired for the House speakership before.
Paolo in his nomination speech said he was against House speaker term sharing but urged his colleagues to elect a new House speaker if Cayetano steps down after 15 months, as agreed upon with Velasco.
“The term sharing agreement is one between congressman Cayetano, Romualdez, Velasco and the President. I am against any term sharing agreement, however, if the Speaker resigns after 15 months, then we will have to elect a new Speaker,” Paolo said.
Iloilo City representative Janette Garin nominated Abante but the latter chose to vote for Cayetano instead. The Taguig representative in return voted for Abante’s bid.
Prior to the nomination, Cayetano competed with Velasco, Romualdez and Davao del Norte representative Pantaleon Alvarez for the House speakership until President Rodrigo Duterte stepped in and endorsed a term sharing for Cayetano and Velasco.
Romualdez was elected as majority leader, while Paolo was picked as one of the deputy speakers along with Ferdinand Hernandez, Evelina Escudero, Loren Legarda, Conrad Estrella III, Prospero Pichay Jr., Roberto Puno, Eduardo Villanueva, Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Johnny Pimentel, and Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
As per the House tradition, losing House speaker candidate Abante will assume as the House minority leader supported by the members of the Liberal Party and other opposition lawmakers./PN
