Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte said he will not take sides amid the heated Speakership tussle between Cayetano and Velasco, adding that it will be congressmen who should decide who they want.
“If and when the day comes that we are called to select the leader of this House, I hope we vote for someone who is committed, who understands what we want to achieve for our constituents, and who can fight for and with us, and unify the 300 members of this House of Representatives despite our many differences,” the Davao City 1st District representative said in a statement.
Duterte said he will not side with any of the two congressmen, noting that both are his good friends.
“As I am all for a unified House, and given the value I place in every member of Congress, I refuse to make any statement that will favor or damage either of my two good friends who are both asserting their right to be our Speaker,” he said.
