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Business Insight
r$rsoay, Juty 18, 2019

Solons: No House coup vs Alan

BY WENDELL VIGILIA
STAUNCH supporters of
Levte
Rep. Nfartin Romualdez testerday
shot down rumon there is a brew
ing "coup" against presumptive
speakef Alan Peter Ca)'etaooj say-
ing there is no way that the term-
sharing agteement benveen him
and Matinduque Rep. Lord Alan
Veiasco will not be executed when
the 18dr Congtess opens session
on Mondal'.
Anakalusugan partyJist Rep.
l\Iike Defeosot said that even
befote congressr4en had pressed
President Duterte to pick his candi-
date for speaker, suppolters of the
tlrree candidates rvere alreadj pre
pated to accept rhe tetm shadng
agleement.
Under the deal, *.hich u,as bro-
'kered by Duterte, Cayetano u'ill
for 15 mondrs lollowed by
sen'e
Velasco fot 21 months, while Ro-
mualdez viil be the majodtyleader.
"So yes, lt (term shadng) is ac
cepted and er.eryone now is help
ing out in the orgaaization of the
House," Defensor told ANC. "I
don't think so, I don't drinh there
rvill be a coup, I thinh everyone
respects the pronouncement of the
President and as ve're talking norg
they've been fidng rhe organiza
tion of the House."
The speakership race berween
Cavetaoo and Velasco had dilided
the admioisttation coalition at the
House. Romualdez, on the other
hand, had his on'n group of sup-
porters pushing lor his speakership
bid. The impasse among the thtee
rrns resoh:ed after a meeting with
Duterte earlier this month.
Presidential son Davao Cin'Rep.
Paolo "Pulong" Dutette, horvever,
last week watned of a "coup" on
Monday, saying a lawmaLer may
de$ his father's decision to pick
Cayetano as the speaker.
The vounget Duterte claimed
that one of the speakership con
tenders may stage a coup on N{on-
daybut the President has dismissed
it as "rvishful thinking."
Paolo and sister Davao Citv
Ma).of Sara Duterte are endorsing
Davao Ciw Rep. Isidro Ungab fot
speaker and proposed that Cay-
etano be the majority leader.
Albal- Rep. Joey Salceda also
shot dorvn the coup rumor, salng
the President has alreidr. made it
See SOLONS l Page 85

SOLONS
clea! that Cayetano and Velasco
will share the position.
"1 can tell you, at the rate we're
working together (to organize
the House), there is deFnitely no
chance that those afiangement
will not materialize on MondaY, '
he told a news forum in Manila.
Defensot aod Salceda were
among the more than 160 con-
gressmel who backed Romualdez'
speaketship bid,
"We will have a Speaker, he's
called Alan Peter Cayetalo, we will
have a majority leadet aod his name
is Martin Romua-ldez, and we will
have LAV g-ord Allan Velasco) as a
support, dePending on what com-
mittee he wa.nts and what Position
he wants," Salceda said.
Salceda said the House remains
"independenC' in t1re sense tlut out
of the 30 major national Jaws, only
fle wete commitments that the
President made in his previous state
oi the nation address ISONA).
'"lwenty-filr vete essentially initia-
thrs of dre House That doesnt make
us independent?" He said. 'tseliwe
me, the House the House is stablg
very stable Itt just the appeatances
of a commotion because dterc ate
1 56 neophyte congessmeq thads aJL"
Cayetano, a meeting with
in
neophyte lawmakers Tuesday
night, made it clear that he is
"si ncerelv" committed to the
agreemen't with Velasco.
"I iust waot to say: I am sincete
in following the President's 15-21
formula," Cayetano told tookie
lawmakets who attended an otien-
tation seminat on the administra
tioris legislative agenda at the SM
Aura in Taguig City.
On t}te same evening at dle Edsa
Shangn I-a Hotel Romualdez tfuew
a than-ksgrving party for lawmakers
who supported his sPeakership bid.
At least a hundted lawmaken at-
enled *re errctrq utridr uas also gaced
by former speaker Gloria ArroP
"I want to ioin hands rvith all of
you. To gve thanks and PraY to make
sure that this 1 8dr Congresi maY be
the best Congress of the fuPublic of
tne-philipplnes because tie people
deserve the best. From the bottom
of my hearq thank 1'ou very much.
We love you all ard we will see You
next week and we will be wotking
hard together," Romualdez told his
allies vho applauded him sevesl
times during his sPeech.
Romualdez, who is known for
his good rapport with colleagues,
chatted with the lawmakets from
all poJitical paties and influential
blocs up to 1:30 a.m.
He also thanked his colleagues
for helping the entite Easteln
Visayas, especially hatdest-hit
Tacloban City, tecover from super
qphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 201 3
'Thete was a time, not too many
years ago and that was after Yolanda
when my district, the bardest hit
district .r,as demo[shed. So many
people were dead and hopeless. And
all of you came to helP us. And that
is why we are back and that is whY
I'm here - that the remaining Yeats
of my public service - I .vouLd also
like to give back and return the fa-
vor to each and every one of Youj'
Romualdez said-
Defensor said the tlanksgrving
dinnet was not a show of fotce,
stressing that Romualdez had al
ready thrown his suPPort behind
Cavetano.
:t ,Litt
;rr the same manner, if
Cons. Allafl Velasco would call for a
g.t-tige*rer, many of us vill also be
aftending because we still don't kno*'
many (of our colleagues). There
are 300 of us and many, about 100
neophl'te memben of the House, so
this would be a good rvay to knou'
each other befote tlle ofdcial SONA
(Sate of the Nation Addrcss) of the
President," Defensor told teporten.
Deteflsor, one ArroYot closest
lieutenants when she was Presi-
dent, said any future gathering
"will have no effect on the ao-
nouncement of the President."
Actress Toni Gonzaga and The
Voice of the PhiliPPines Season
2 winoer lason DY serenaded
the guests and a live band Plaled
almost the entire event. Actress
Karla Estrada also attended the
tlnoksgiving dinner.

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