BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental vice governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he was not surprised when Davao del Norte 1st District representative Pantaleon Alvarez was ousted as House Speaker on Monday.
His colleagues felt like Alvarez was making decisions for the House by himself, added Lacson.
Alvarez is pushing for a no-election scenario next year, which is in conflict with the views of most of the House members.
This, Lacson said, is the “biggest issue” against Alvarez.
Former president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Arroyo formally replaced Alvarez after 184 of 238 representatives present in a special session Monday evening voted for her.
But earlier that day – over an hour before President Rodrigo Duterte delivered this third State of the Nation Address – Arroyo was seen up the rostrum at the Batasang Pambansa plenary hall, appearing to address her colleagues and taking oath as the new House Speaker.
Lacson said experience-wise, Arroyo will be able to perform her duties as House Speaker well.
He dismissed the possibility that Arroyo may hold one of the highest positions should the shift to a federal government pushes through.
Lacson said Arroyo is already in her last term as congresswoman and by the time federalism takes effect, she would no longer be in public service.
In 2013, Arroyo was charged with plunder and spent four years on hospital arrest while suffering from cervical spine damage.
She was mixed up in the Hello Garci controversy, the alleged misuse of multibillion-peso Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds, the NBN-ZTE deal, and the fertilizer fund scam, among other corruption scandals./PN
