Palace sees term-sharing won’t slow passage of priority bills, including budget

July 9, 2019

Malacanang expressed optimism on Tuesday that the term-sharing arrangement for the House speakership would not affect the passage of the administration priority measures, including the budget.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano,  Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez have agreed that under the agreement, there would be no disruption in their work.

"They forged into unity. So how can there be disruption?" he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Monday he had to step into the speakership squabble.

After meeting with the three lawmakers in Malacanang, he said that Cayetano, Velasco, and Romualdez agreed in the term-sharing deal.

Cayetano would be the Speaker for the first 15 months, while Velasco would take over for the remaining 21 months. Romualdez would be Majority Floor Leader.

Duterte denied that he meddled in the affairs of the legislative branch when he decided to settle the issue on the speakership.

"There seems to be a crisis already. Nobody was willing to state with certainty. It's not really independence. I am not interfering with their legislation work. We're just talking about the leaders," he told reporters on Monday night.

"It has nothing to do with the independence of the legislative body. Up to that point, it's all politics. It's like that. But interfering in the legislation and in the workings of the Lower House, that's a different story. That's entirely a different scenario," he explained.

"You are not interfering because we are choosing only the leaders. Now, when they begin to work and do their task, and you interfere, that's the time that there is --- we can hear the complaints," Duterte added.

Panelo said when Duterte stepped in on the issue of the speakership, he was "just responding to the call for help."

He described Duterte's action as "Solomonic."

Despite the initial endorsement of presidential children Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte for Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab to be Speaker, he was not included in the President's list.

Asked if the Palace sees a scenario that during the opening of the 18th Congress, Ungab would be nominated also as the Speaker, Panelo said, "I think not anymore."

He said Cayetano, Velasco, and Romualdez represent the majority of the coalition.

"The fact alone that Mayor Sara as chairman of HNP (Hugpong ng Pagbabago) and also Cong. Paolo agreed with that suggestion to bring the matter to the President, that includes also Congressman Ungab," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS