Eighteen minutes upon opening of its Monday session, the House of Representatives immediately suspended it amid the alleged coup threat against Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu declared the suspension of session until Tuesday after the roll call of members and the first reading of several measures.
No motion was raised to declare leadership posts, including the speakership, at the lower chamber vacant.
Presidential son and Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte confirmed on Sunday that he had sent House appropriations committee chair Eric Yap a message that he would ask the Mindanao bloc to move to declare the position of Speaker Cayetano and 22 Deputy Speakers vacant during Monday’s session.
The House leadership row was allegedly triggered by the disagreements among congressmen over inequitable budget allocations for their respective districts under the proposed PHP4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.
Under a “gentlemen’s agreement” brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte himself, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months, or until October 2020, while Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco would take over and assume the position at the House of Representatives for the remaining 21 months or until 18th Congress ends in 2022.
