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NUP meeting;
lt2lawmakers
bolt ruling party
By Maricel V. Cruz
THE President's son, Davao City Rep.
Paolo Duterte, did not attend the National
,Unity Party's annual meeting Tuesday-
even as 15 lawmakers took their oath as
new members of the party identified with
port services czar Enrique Razon Jr.
This amidtalk that the young Duterte is
not inclined to recognize the term-sharing
agreement brokered by his father between
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig
and Pateros and Marinduque Rep. Lord
Alan Velasco.
Meanwhile, the ruling PDP-Laban is
"updating its official membership data-
baie in th! House of Representatives" fol-
lowing the decision of the 12 congressmen
who bolted the administration party'
This was confirmed in a text message
from the PDP-Laban National Headquar-
ters as the political party of the President
may no longer be the dominant.political
party at the Lower House as its member-
ship has started to decrease.
Sources said the young Duterte is still
eyeing the speakership after Cayetano fin-
ishes his l5-month term.
Velasco is supposed to succeed Cay-
etano in the last 21 months bf the lgth
Congress under the term-sharing agree-
ment.
Deputy Speaker Roberto Puno, who
repreients Antipolo, earlier dispelled
rumors that Duterte might gun for the
speakership once the l5-month watch of
Cayetano expired.
the group of congressmen who joined the
NUP. Abante ran in the midterm polls un-
der the banner of the local party Asenso
Manileflo.
Isabela Rep. Antonio Albano also
joined the NUR which will emerge as the
second largest political party in the House.
Albano, brother of former Isabela con-
gressman and now Isabela Gov. Rodolfo
Albano III, used to be a member of the
ruling PDP-Laban.
"It is a very large party and a dominant
party at that.I will be swimming among
the big fish and my voice maY not be
heard. And it is a good position to have
also as a neophyte congressman, being the
vicg.ppesident,i' Albanp,,who was elected
ai NUP vicb president, said.
As of the latest count, the NUP has 44
members in the House excluding Cayetano
and Duterte. Both of them were adopted
by the NUP but maintained their member-
ships in their respective parties.
Similarly, the NUP has also made al-
lianceswith 12 partyJist congressmen,
and some, of them are members of the
54-strong party-list coalition.
.Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. was
elebtEd party president, replacing Rep.
Fredenil "Fred" Castro who resigned the
presidency and his membership in the
party.
The other elected officers of the NUP
are former Interior and Local Government
Secretary Ronaldo Puno as chairman, for-
mer congressman Alberto Garcia as vice
chairman for local governance; former
Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop as vice chair-
man for external affairs; Albano as vice.
president; Bulacan Rep. Gavini Pancho as
vice president for Luzon; Rep. Pablo John
Garcla of Cebu as vice president for the
Visayas; Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano
as vice president for Metro Manila; Edsritt
Ong as vice president for local govern-
ance; Jerry Treflas as vice president for
special projects; Cavite Rep. Luis Ferrer
IV of Cavite as treasurer; Masbate Rep.
Narciso Bravo Jr. as secretary general;
Reginald Velasco as deputy secretary gen-
eral for political affairs; Brian Yamsuan
as deputy secretary general for public af-
fairs; and Rex de la Craz as deputy secre-
tary general for administration.
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