SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte – First, you must win as a congressman before eyeing the speakership.
Former House Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez gave this piece of advice to fierce political foe, fellow Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tony Boy” Floirendo, who threw his bid to become the top leader of the House of Representatives in the incoming 18th Congress.
“Sigurado na ba siyang mananalo sa election? Hehe…,” texted Alvarez as in an apparent taunt directed at Floirendo.
Floirendo, scion of the country’s banana magnate, is being challenged by Vice Gov. Alan Dujali for the second congressional district of Davao del Norte. Dujali is running under President Duterte’s PDP-Laban party while Floirendo has the support of the Chief Executive’s daughter, Hugpong ng Pagbabago chairperson and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, as the HNP bet for congressman.
Floirendo appeared to be among the early candidates for the speakership which will have to be decided in July after most of the winners in the congressional race have been proclaimed by the Commission on Elections.
His candidacy was announced by presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo a few minutes after Floirendo declared his bid on his Facebook account “Serbisyo Una.”
“I have decided to join the fray not for my own political ambitions but to ensure that President Rodrigo Duterte gets a solid support from the House leadership,” the veteran lawmaker wrote in his Facebook account.
“I want to unite the House in fully backing the Duterte administration to realize its dreams for the Filipino people in the three remaining years,” said the incumbent solon who was named among the heavy contributors, P75 million in donations, to Duterte’s presidential campaign in 2016.
Like Panelo, Mayor Duterte had announced the speakership bid of incoming Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, head of the Malacanang-allied Lakas-CMD, and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, a PDP-Laban stalwart and chairman of the House Committee on Energy.
The Davao City mayor has also mentioned former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who is running for congressman in Taguig City, as another candidate for speaker. (Ben Rosario)
