By BEN ROSARIO
Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar could have made congressional history as the youngest deputy speaker to be elected to the House of Representatives had she not declined the opportunity.
Villar, 35, made known her decision not to accept the position in a letter sent to Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco a few hours after a plenary session voted her and two other new deputy speakers as replacement of solons closely allied to former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
Villar, a neophyte solon, was elected deputy speaker to replace Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu.
Abu and Reps. Fredenil Castro (Lakas-CMD, Capiz) and Dan Fernandez (NUP, Laguna) were relieved of their posts as deputy speakers during Wednesday’s session. Castro and Fernandez were replaced by Reps. Rufus Rodriguez (Independent, Cagayan de Oro City) and Lito Atienza (Buhay partylist), respectively
Villar, Abu, and Cayetano are all members of the Nacionalista Party, a political group headed the lady solon’s father, former Senate President Manuel Villar.
Members of the party stood strong behind Cayetano when he made a strong but losing bid to remain speaker notwithstanding a gentleman’s agreement with Speaker Velasco for a 15-21 sharing of the speakership.
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the honor and opportunity offered me. Allow me, however, to humbly decline the nomination and designation as Deputy Speaker,” Villar said in her letter.
“It is an opportune time to work with my fellow congressmen and the leaders of the House of Representatives on policy measures that would give personal and economic relief to our ‘kababayans’ amid the past disasters and the pandemic,” her letter read in part.
It added: “But the greater tact is adherent responsibility to our constituents, the adroit loyalty to allies and friends, and the constant affinity to the leadership and nation.”
Velasco has yet to issue a formal statement in reaction to Villar’s letter.
However, it was noted that his media handlers posted an update of the press release on the election of new deputy speakers that included Villar. The information update was posted an hour after Villar’s office sent a copy of her letter to Velasco to the House media.
