"Changing the House leadership at this time goes against the grain of ensuring continuity in the institutionís lawmaking task."
"Changing the House leadership at this time goes against the grain of ensuring continuity in the institutionís lawmaking task."
If our source is to be believed, the situation over at the House of Representatives is far from serene. Beneath the surface calm, we're told, there's restiveness with the recent attempt to unseat Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
While the House was quite busy with various issues, among them how to address the needs of the residents affected by the Taal volcano eruption and how to control the spread of the dreaded coronavirus or COVID-19, Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco was reported to have tried to oust Cayetano as Speaker. Unsuccessfully, it turns out.
It's said that Velasco dangled juicy committee chairmanships to selected congressmen to get them to support his coup attempt against Cayetano.
Last year, Velasco allies were said to have tried to seek support for his speakership bid by offering additional project allocations to House members under the proposed 2020 national budget.
This would have undermined the priorities outlined by President Rodrigo Duterte in his budget message contained in the General Appropriations Act for 2020, as it was done merely to gather support for Velasco’s speakership bid.
Velasco also directed his allies, including two Deputy Speakers, to launch a signature campaign favoring the renewal of ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise. He must have felt that if he could pressure the House committee on legislative franchises to conduct a hearing and have it approved, then this would send a clear message that he has enough political clout. But this move is a direct challenge to the stand of Duterte, who had repeatedly said he does not want an extension of the media giant's franchise (he now says he would leave it to the House to make a decision). Reports indicate that many of those who signed in favor of ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal want their signatures withdrawn.
When these two attempts failed, Velasco is said to have maneuvered to gain the upper hand against Cayetano by offering committee chairmanships to House members.
One source said that Velasco had even approached Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte—yes, the President's son—to enlist his support in exchange for the post of Majority Leader.
Another solon from Mindanao was also told he would get to retain his chairmanship of the powerful House appropriations committee if he could convince Paolo Duterte and the rest of the Mindanao bloc to support Velasco’s coup d'etat.
The plot, however, excluded those closely associated with Cayetano, including Camarines Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Antipolo Rep. Roberto Puno, Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu, Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez. They would be replaced by others who would support the power grab.
What's puzzling to observers is why Velasco appears to want to fast-track his assumption to the post of Speaker at this time through a power grab. Is it because he fears that with Cayetano's high performance and trust ratings in his first five months, his colleagues would simply ignore the term-sharing agreement approved by Duterte himself? Under this deal, Cayetano would occupy the office for 15 months while Velasco would take over for the next 21 months until 2022.
Velasco's moves appear ill-timed as the House is now entering a crucial period where Duterte's priority legislative measures need to be passed, including the next tranches of the TRAIN law and other tax measures that would finance various development programs to fulfill his campaign promises. Duterte needs a firm hand in Congress to move things along and prove to the people that what he promised to the electorate in terms of fighting the drug menace, criminality and corruption, as well as the stepped-up drive to improve the country's infrastructure, would produce salutary results by the time he steps down in 2022.
Changing the House leadership at this time goes against the grain of ensuring continuity in the institution's lawmaking task and could undermine the support of lawmakers for Duterte's pro-poor and pro-development legislative proposals.
Velasco only needs to wait a while so he can assume the speakership in due time. After all, he gets to sit as Speaker even for a longer period than Cayetano under the Duterte-approved term-sharing deal. But he must be able to prove that he has the requisite integrity and competence that the Speakership position demands. For now, given his perceived maneuvers to pull the rug from under Cayetano's feet despite their gentleman's agreement, he may have displayed a Machiavellian streak that does not speak well of his capacity for effective leadership of a crucial component of our democratic system.
ernhil@yahoo.com