With just three months left in his 15-month term as Speaker,
Cayetano said the chamber is already preparing for the scheduled transition in
leadership.
“Yes (I will step down). My 15 months end in late October or
start of November... The House will be ready and the members are resilient
regardless of whoever the Speaker will be,” he said in an interview with CNN
Philippines.
“I haven’t seen anything that will make it change. We’re not
talking (about anything) differently. We’re just quietly working, we’re
preparing for that,” he revealed.
Under the term-sharing deal brokered by President Duterte
himself, Cayetano will serve as speaker for the first 15 months or until
October 2020, with Velasco taking over the post for the final 21 months of the
18th Congress or until June 2022.
Cayetano previously expressed desire to stay on as House
leader until 2022, but said he would still consult with the President whether
or not to relinquish the post.
This article was first published on the Philippine Star.
