Three candidates for House Speaker yesterday courted the support of a group of newly proclaimed party-list congressmen.
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez discussed their programs for speaker with the Partylist Coalition Inc. led by 1Pacman party-list Rep. Mikey Romero.
The coalition counts for at least 46 proclaimed party-list groups as members.
President Duterte had announced that he would not anoint the next House Speaker as he had opted to pursue a process.
Velasco, however, believes otherwise, saying that PDP-Laban will submit a list of possible House Speakers from which the Chief Executive will choose from.
Velasco is among the candidates for House Speaker belonging to PDP-Laban. Two others are former House Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales.
Nominees of the 36 out of the 51 proclaimed winners in the party-list polls were present at the organizational meeting at Marco Polo Hotel in Pasig City. Ten other party-list groups sent representatives.
Ako Bicol party-list Rep.Alfredo Garbin, partymate of murdered PCI president Rep. Rodel Batocabe, said the party-list group will also await Duterte’s declaration on whom to support in the speakership race.
“I always say that the common denominator of all major political parties, including the party-list coalition, is that kung sino ang iendorso ng ating President will gravitate towards, papunta dun ‘yung membership at ang boto,” Garbin said.
With at least 20 18th Congress members expected to form the minority bloc when the day of electing a House Speaker comes, the combined PDP-Laban and the PCI votes may already give Duterte’s choice for House Speaker an advantage.
There will be at least 289 votes left after deducting the number of opposition candidates from the total 309 House membership.
PDP-Laban has won 85 seats while the PCI is assured of 54 members for a total 139 congressmen voting for the Duterte choice for speaker. (Ben Rosario)