What's the latest buzz now with the House speakership?
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| GMA with members of Congress including Lord Allan Velasco. File photo |
“I’m not talking about the speakership,” was all that she
said when asked about the race for Speaker.
Former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, presidential son and Davao
City Rep. Paolo Duterte, outgoing Senator and now Antique Rep. Loren Legarda,
former Foreign Affairs Secretary and now Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter
Cayetano, Marinduque Rep. Lord Velasco, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, and
Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. have been floated as among contenders for
the speakership.
So far, Alvarez, Velasco, Cayetano, and Romualdez have
confirmed their intentions to become Speaker. Legarda, on the other hand, said
vying for the speakership is not in her “radar.” - Inquirer.net
Solons list next speaker qualities
MANILA, Philippines — Which qualities should incoming
lawmakers look for in the next Speaker of the House?
As the speakership race heats up, lawmakers are weighing in
on the looming congressional showdown by listing down some basic criteria that
they believe the top contenders should satisfy to earn the approval of their
peers.
“Primus inter pares. The first among equals. That’s what the
Speaker of the House is,” Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon said in a post on
Twitter.
According to Davao Oriental Rep. Joel Mayo Almario, the next
Speaker should be: first, a trusted ally of President Rodrigo Duterte; second,
a member of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban); third,
a senior House member with no pending legal cases; fourth, has a good track
record in legislation; and fifth, has no conflict of interests.
The lawmaker said it would also be preferable if the next
Speaker again originated from Mindanao — a requirement that would qualify only
one or two candidates, including Almario himself.
“It would also be preferable if the next Speaker has
experience as an official in a local government unit for wider appreciation of
the effects of national laws in the local communities, with a clear stand on
being pro-environment, and a Mindanaoan like the President,” he said.
With only three years remaining in the Duterte
administration, the next House leadership will be crucial in pushing the
President’s legislative agenda.
4 contenders
So far, four contenders for Speaker have declared their
ambitions to take over the post to be vacated by
outgoing Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: Rep. Lord
Allan Velasco of Marinduque; former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del
Norte; Martin Romualdez of Leyte; and former Foreign Secretary Alan Peter
Cayetano of Taguig. - Inquirer.net
