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| Rep. Velasco (middle) with from left, Pres. Duterte, Rep. Cayetano, former Speaker Macapagal Arroyo and Rep. Romualdez during recent Hugpong ng Pagbabago thanksgiving dinner. Photo: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
"President Duterte already made clear his position that he would leave the choice for
Speakership to the capable hands of the members of Congress and will not
endorse a particular individual for the position. This declaration never
mentioned a term sharing for the position of Speaker.
"There is a
strong consensus among majority members of the House of Representatives during
my series of consultation with them that term-sharing is divisive and will only
impede the passage of important pieces of legislation that this administration
needs to fulfill its mandate and promise to the people.
"I thank my
party PDP Laban for the honor of selecting me as their candidate for Speaker. I
am ready to take on the task as I have been ready since the SONA day of 2018. I
commit to promote unity in the House, push for the agenda of the Duterte
administration and serve our country to the best of my abilities."
- Rep, Lord Allan Velasco, Lone District of Marinduque
