"Velasco’s dream of taking over as Speaker may not happen soon—or at all—as he appears to be capitalizing only on his perceived closeness to Duterte as his ticket to the top House post."
"Velasco’s dream of taking over as Speaker may not happen soon—or at all—as he appears to be capitalizing only on his perceived closeness to Duterte as his ticket to the top House post."
Don’t look now, but Speaker-in-Waiting, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, may have to wait some more before he realizes his ardent ambition to take over the post now held by Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano under a term-sharing agreement.
Velasco was banking on a categorical statement from President Rodrigo Duterte that he would respect the term-sharing agreement between him and Cayetano. But that didn’t happen.
Duterte was non-committal on the term-sharing issue when he attended the birthday celebration of Velasco last Monday: “It’s up to you if the parties would honor (the term-sharing agreement). I’m not forcing anybody to take a stand. It’s your choice because the agreement and the choice is yours, because you can make or unmake the Speaker,” he told the gathering of lawmakers during Velasco’s joint birthday party with his wife Rowena.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo later told a regular press briefing: “That’s what I have been saying all along, that he will not intervene unless his advice is sought… You get your conclusion from what he said, I think that his statements are enough. The President has spoken, it’s very clear. So, you reach your own conclusion.”
Based on the formula that the President brokered last July, Cayetano would assume the Speakership in the first 15 months while Velasco will take over for the next 21 months, or from October 2020 until June 2022.
Cayetano had said he would honor the gentleman’s agreement with Velasco. But he nonetheless expressed openness to the idea of extending his leadership until 2022, but only if Velasco would be willing to give way. “I’m planning for 15 months and so far we already have three months. So, hopefully we can focus on our work and until that time, perhaps it would be best if we only do what we have to do. Otherwise, there might be disunity,” Cayetano said. “For me, we can be more productive if we just do our job. After the 15th month, perhaps I have to say I’ve done my job. Now, the question is, did I do it well or not? So, that is where I want to focus first,” he stressed.
Velasco expected the President to confirm the term-sharing deal during his birthday party. But with Duterte taking a hands-off position on the deal, the members of the House are likely to put the Speakership to a vote by the end of Cayetano’s 15th month.
It now appears that the President has chosen performance above everything else, such as friendship, in deciding whom to support.
The latest Pulse Asia survey shows Cayetano garnering a 62 percent trust rating and a 64 approval approval rating, which are both higher than what Vice President Leni Robredo has received. These ratings are also higher than that of his immediate predecessors, and he was able to achieve this in his first two months as Speaker.
The 2020 General Appropriations Bill was approved by the House on third and final reading in record time. Moreover, Cayetano has made sure that the bill contains no pork, no illegal insertions and no “parked” funds.
The President’s priority reform measures he mentioned in his fourth State of the Nation Address have been quickly approved in the House under Cayetano’s leadership. Among these are the Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act, the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, House Bill 1026 further increasing the excise taxes on alcohol products and e-cigarettes, and the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act.
Cayetano has proven to be capable of transforming the House into a “relevant, responsible and reliable” legislature, thus earning praise from his colleagues.
“If the President does not intervene, we House members will decide whether to retain Speaker Cayetano or push through with term-sharing. As far as we in the Nacionalista Party and other congressmen are concerned, we want continuity in the leadership,” Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte said on Wednesday. He said a leadership change in midstream would be “disruptive”, adding that what happened last year, when a sudden change in House leadership took place, the 2019 national budget became a casualty as its approval was delayed.
According to Villafuerte, it would be difficult to replace the incumbent Speaker, “given our numerous accomplishments in the first three months of his leadership and his high public trust and approval ratings.”
Another Deputy Speaker, Neptali Gonzales II of Mandaluyong City, predicted that Cayetano would win if the speakership term-sharing issue were put to a House vote. “It’s difficult to fight an incumbent,” he said.
Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., president of the National Unity Party, said with Duterte’s hands-off stance, House members “will most likely opt to continue with Speaker Alan’s leadership.” “Why change or swap horses in midstream? We might as well retain him as our Speaker,” he said. Cayetano’s 64-percent and 62-percent approval and trust ratings in recent surveys, he added, “are remarkable if we consider the low marks the House received in previous Congresses.”
What this tells us is that Velasco’s dream of taking over as Speaker may not happen soon—or at all—as he appears to be capitalizing only on his perceived closeness to Duterte as his ticket to the top House post. Maybe he should start doing more work as chair of the House Committee on Energy so he can boast of an enviable track record in this area to prove that he truly deserves the leadership post in the House.