Anakalusugan Party-list Rep Mike Defensor, an ally of incumbent Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said that anyone who wants to change the leadership in the House of Representatives should declare the seat of the Speaker vacant and see who will get the vote.
“I would advise those who want a change of leadership to declare the seat vacant,” Defensor said.
Cayetano offered to resign his post to make way for Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, while sending attacks in his privilege speech last Wednesday.
“I don’t think there will be a fight amongst us. It will be a question of vote and if in the end they do not get the numbers, then we should just continue our work and respect each other,” he said.
Cayetano was supposed to lead the chamber for 15 months before turning over the seat to Velasco this month. Sources from the Velasco camp said the agreement was supposed to be enforced on October 14.
184 voted to reject Cayetano’s offer to resign. Defensor said this”is a manifestation of continued support of an overwhelming majority of the House.”
“‘Yung speakership, hindi naman ito entitlement. Hindi ito hari at may prinsipe at after bumaba ang hari, ‘yung prinsipe na ang uupo,” he said.
[The speakership is not entitlement. It’s not as if there’s a king and a prince, and when the king abdicates, the prince assumes the throne.]
He added, the Speaker is not appointed by the President, but is elected in a “collective decision” by the House lawmakers.
“So the person who would want to lead the House, the person who would like to be the primus inter pares, should also assert himself and lead Congress. In this case, a simple motion to declare the office vacant would pave the way if indeed they have the votes to transfer the leadership of the House,” he said.
