HORSE trading, jockeying for positions and perks between the Liberal Party and the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan and heated debates were among the issues that marred the election of minority leader up to yesterday.
The LP, led by former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., has dropped its bid to grab the minority leadership but left at least eight members to continue to contest the post.
The LP-majority Belmonte wing has chosen to join the super majority coalition led by now Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of the PDP-Laban in exchange for some “concessions.”
By making a compromise to join the Alvarez-led majority, the 30-member LP was assured and given a slot for deputy speakership, prompting the 52- strong party-list group to protest with 21 of its members abstaining from voting for Alvarez.
Those who abstained would be the swing vote to determine who between LP’s Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat and United Nationalist Alliance’s Danilo Suarez of Quezon could become the minority leader.
As the minority leadership hangs in the balance, the LP is now negotiating to be given major committee chairmanships.
The LP-Belmonte wing was able to grab the fifth of the six slots for deputy speaker. The sixth slot was being haggled by the Party-list Coalition Foundation, led by Ako Bicol Rodel Batocabe, for its member Sharon Garin of AAMBIS-OWWA.
Batocabe said there was no woman deputy speaker among the second highest post in the House.
The five deputy speakers were picked as representatives of their respective parties, who were members of the super majority coalition. These were Ilocos Norte Rep. Eric Singson of the PDP-Laban, Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Capiz Rep. Fredinel Castro of the National Unity Party, Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu of the Nacionalista Party and Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo of the LP.
The Alvarez camp wanted to keep the sixth slot for the PDP-Laban considering that it is now the ruling party having 90 members from the original three members and based on the requirement of party representation that it had to keep two slots.
But Batocabe refused to agree to the ruling and insisted that the party-list group, given its size that is even bigger than the LP-majority, also had to be given proper representation in the leadership.
As of 6 p.m. last night, heated debates ensued as Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who voted for Baguilat, contested that the 21 who abstained were neither majority nor minority but can apply in writing to join either.
Lagman and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA president, have joined forces and formed the “Independent Caucus” that would serve as the voice of the true opposition in the House.
They decided to merge as the third force to challenge the leadership and present themselves as the “true and real opposition minority” during Monday’s election of the Minority Leader in protest of the supposed “game fixing” to turn Congress into a rubber stamp.
But Tiangco voted “No” to speakership during elections last Monday.
Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo admitted that “perks and projects” that they have been enjoying for the past six years had been the primary reason that drove him and 30 other members of the LP to join Belmonte in the Alvarez-led majority.
The LP members, who won 115 seats in the recent polls, also feared Alvarez would field opponents against them in the 2019 midterm elections should they attempt to grab the minority leadership, Castelo said.