Nakatakdang ihalal ng hindi bababa sa 270 kongresista si Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez bilang Speaker ng 17th Congress ngayon.
Sinabi ni incoming House Majority Leader at Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo “Rudy” Fariñas na miyembro ng Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan na majority sa 293-man House of Representatives ay iboboto si Alvarez bilang House Speaker.
“Not less than 270 out of 293 House of Representatives members will vote for Rep. Bebot Alvarez as their Speaker,” ani Farinas.
Nagpasalamat si Farinas sa coalition partners ng PDP-Laban – Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, National Unity Party, Liberal Party, at party-list representatives – sa kanilang pagsama sa super majority coalition sa Kamara.
Samantala, nakatakda ding ihalal bilang Senate President si Sen. Koko Pimentel na may suporta ng 20 senador ngayon.
Sinigurado ni Pimentel na hindi magiging rubber stamp ang Senado ng Malacañang.
“We are not really going to become a rubber stamp; the personalities of my colleagues are very strong and they have independent ideas and convictions,” sinabi ni Pimentel. (Hannah L. Torregoza and Charissa M. Luci)