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| Rep. Velasco (standing 6th from left) with Partylist representatives |
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco vowed that partylist
solons won’t be treated as “second-class” citizens if he will be elected as the
country’s next Speaker this coming July.
“[I told them that] if I get the Speakership you stand as a
bloc. I will give you your 20 percent allocation—that means they get the
allocation for the chairmanships their vice chairmanships with their members,”
said Velasco in an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) on Tuesday.
Last week, Velasco attended the private caucus hosted by the
Partylist Coalition under the leadership of the 1-PACMAN Partylist Rep. Mikee
Romero.
The administration solon recognized the capability of the
54-man bloc under Romero’s leadership, adding that they are a “force to be reckoned
with” and will play as a power-broker in the highly contested Speakership race
which is currently considered a four-way fight between him, former House
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Taguig-Pateros Representative-elect Alan Peter
Cayetano and Leyte Representative-elect Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“I’m just promising them or I’m just telling them because
usually before there’s a connotation when you’re a partylist member the second
class citizen that was in Congress. But now I was telling them you know you
guys stand as a bloc,” said Velasco.
Earlier, House Deputy Minority Leader Alfredo Garbin (Ako
Bicol Partylist) said it was Velasco who earned the loudest applause among the
perennial candidates who were vying for the Speakership during the group’s
annual general assembly last Thursday which was held at the Marco Polo Ortigas
in Pasig City.
“Well applaud siya. Cong. Velasco, the most applauded of the
three contenders na dumalo sa aming caucus,” said Garbin.
Source: politics.com.ph
Patok! Velasco, pinaka-pinalakpakan ng mga party-list solon
“Cong. Velasco, the most applaud of the three contenders na
dumalo sa aming caucus,” paliwanag ni Garbin sa isang panayam sa Kamara.
Maganda umano ang mood ng mga kongresista sa nasabing grupo
na pinamumunuan ni 1-Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero dahil dama nila umano ang
pagpapahalaga ni Velasco sa party-list bloc.
Si Velasco at dalawa pang kongresista na nais sungkutin ang
liderato ng Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso sa darating na Hulyo ay inimbitahan
ng grupo nila Romero upang bigyan ng pagkakataon na ilatag ang kani-kanilang
mga legislative agenda at iba pang mga plataporma kung sakaling pamunuan ang
Kamara sa Hulyo.
Kabilang sa mga imbitadong nag-presinta ng kanilang mga
balak para sa Mababang Kapulungan ay sila Congressmen-elect Ferdinand Martin
Romualdez (Leyte) at Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros).
Kung masasayang hiwayan at masigabong palakpakan ang
ibinigay ng grupo kay Velasco ay nagmistulang Biyernes Santo naman bigla ang
mood ng mga miyembro ng Partylist Coalition noong si Cayetano na ang
nag-sasalita.
Ayon sa mga mapagkaka-tiwalaang source Abante Tonite, imbes
na panliligaw ay pagyayabang at kamalaunan ay pananakot ang mga pinagsasabi ni
Cayetano laban sa grupo kung sakaling magpasya silang hindi suportahan ang
kanyang balak na pamunuan ang Kamara.
Paliwanag ng mga naka saksi subalit ayaw magpakilala, tila
ba nagbanta si Cayetano ng sabihin na magiging masamang kaaway siya ng mga
kongresistang hindi susuporta sa kanyang balak.
Iginiit din umano ng dating kalihim ng Kagawaran ng Ugnayang
Panlabas na mayroon na umano siyang mandato ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte upang
pamunuan ang Kamara. - John Carlo Cahinhinan/Abante
Source: Abante TNT
