By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News
Allies of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco are
set to gather on Monday and elect him as Speaker of the House of
Representatives despite the suspension of the session.
In a manifesto sent to reporters, a total of 187 lawmakers
will come together to declare the seat of the House Speaker vacant and elect
Velasco as the new leader of the House.
One hundred eighty-seven lawmakers exceed the majority of
299 House members, which means the number is enough to elect a new Speaker.
"In accordance with Section 13, Rule 3 of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, of the 18th Congress, we call to assemble, move
to and cast our vote to declare the position of Speaker VACANT on Monday,
October 12, 2020," the manifesto read.
"Further, also in accordance with the same Section, we
will move to and cast our vote to declare Representative Lord Allan Velasco of
Marinduque as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 18th
Congress," it added.
Oriental Mindoro Representative Salvador Leachon sent the
manifesto to reporters early Monday morning. It was confirmed by Cagayan De Oro
Representative Rufus Rodriguez, Valenzuela City Representative Eric Martinez
and Albay Representative Joey Salceda to GMA News Online.
If it pushes through, the election will take place even as
the House is not in session. The chamber earlier suspended the session until
November 16, in what some say is a move for Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to
preempt the expected speakership turnover on October 14 in accordance with a
term-sharing deal he hatched with Velasco last year.
The special session of Congress, as directed by President
Rodrigo Duterte, will not start until October 13.
Apart from calling to assemble and elect Velasco as Speaker,
the lawmakers also slammed the move of the House led by Cayetano to
"unceremoniously" terminate the plenary budget deliberations and
approve the 2021 general appropriations bill on second reading.
"In unceremoniously terminating deliberations on the
budget... the current House Leadership deprived the Filipino People of
exercising, through their duly-elected Representatives, their right to
participate in crafting a national budget that would best serve the country,"
they said in the manifesto.
The "invalid" delegation to the small committee to
accept amendments to the budget bill "effectively railroads and replaces
the important budget process which is comprised of sponsorship, debate and
amendments," they added.
"This act runs contrary to Congress’ responsibility to
craft an open, transparent and meaningful budget that is beneficial to the
Filipino people. The power of Congress is bastardized when it was divested from
the plenary, in each and every individual legislator, and purposely let to be
monopolized by a select few."
Apart from Leachon, Martinez, Rodriguez and Salceda, 12
other lawmakers from different blocs and political parties of the House signed
the manifesto.
Martinez told GMA News Online that supporters of Velasco
will gather at an events place in Quezon City this morning. He has yet to
confirm if the election will take place in the said venue or at the Batasan
Complex.
On Sunday, allies of Cayetano called on the Velasco camp to
focus on the budget first and set aside politics.
"We hope and appeal to the members na huwag na nilang
guluhin ang procedure. Isantabi muna nila ang gusto nilang panggugulo. Gawin na
lang yan after the budget," Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte said
in a virtual press conference on Sunday.
Majority Leader Ferdinand Romualdez also said that the
speakership issue will be tackled after the House approves the budget.
On Friday night, Velasco met with Davao City Mayor Sara
Duterte, the President's daughter, in Davao City. Leachon said Mayor Duterte
has "endorsed" Velasco as the next leader of the House of
Representatives. —KBK, GMA News
