Duterte respects decision of lawmakers to keep Cayetano as House speaker

October 1, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte respects the decision of the House of Representatives to maintain Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano as its speaker, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

In a television interview, Secretary Harry Roque said Duterte called him up to relay his position following a voting that took place in the House, rejecting Cayetano's offer to resign as the speaker.

Quoting Duterte, he said, "We stay out of it. No comment. That's purely an internal affair of the House of Representatives."

"It means the President respects the voting process," he added.

Cayetano offered to resign as the top leader of the House following his meeting with Duterte along with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco on Tuesday night to settle the House leadership row.

Velasco's camp claimed that it was agreed during the meeting that he would assume the speakership on October 14.

But Cayetano, after narrating his version on what took place in the meeting with Duterte during the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2021 national budget, offered to resign.

But his ally, Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor moved to reject Cayetano's offer, which eventually led to nominal voting on whether or not the congressmen would accept his resignation.

With 184 votes, Cayetano has kept the speakership.

In 2019, the President facilitated the settlement on the House speakership issue to prevent the division among his allies in Congress. Cayetano and Velasco agreed that time to share the House speakership - Cayetano, to serve for 15 months or only until September this year while Velasco for 21 months. Celerina Monte/DMS