Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano belies claims that a deal to retain his speakership in the House of Representative existed between him and President Rodrigo Duterte. Said deal involved killing ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal application in exchange for his stay as the speaker of the House.
“Kung sinuman gustong mag-accuse, eye-to-eye, mag-lie detector test tayo. Kung sinong matalo sa lie detector test ay tumigil na sa kanyang profession,” Cayetano told reporters.
[Whoever wants to make the accusation, let’s undergo a lie detector test. Whoever loses in the lie detector test should stop their profession.]
“It’s a hundred percent not true. Wala kaming usapan ng Pangulo about staying, wala kaming usapan ng Pangulo ng any reward or whatever sa ABS-CBN,” he continued.
[It’s 100% not true. The President and I did not have any conversation about staying as Speaker, we had no conversation about any reward regarding the ABS-CBN franchise.]
Cayetano said his only deal with the President was to hold ‘fair’ hearings on ABS-CBN’s fresh bid for another 25-year franchise. The House then held more than 10 hearings for the franchise renewal, making it one of the longest franchise hearings in the lower chamber’s history.
Speaker Cayetano is set to be replaced in October and pass the seat to Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, who will assume the House speakership until June 2022 – as part of their ‘gentleman’s agreement’ on term-sharing as approved by Duterte.
