Politicians' quirks damage House of Representatives, says Lagman

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman on Saturday said the squabble over who will constitute the minority in the House of Representatives is doing damage to the Lower House of Congress.

"Only in the Philippines do quirks of politicians happen in damaging and embarrassing frequency," Lagman said in a statement sent to reporters.

"The recent upheaval in the House of Representatives which resulted in the installation of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the new Speaker replacing Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez has engendered the resurgence of these oddities," he added.

Lagman noted that the group led by Representative Danilo Suarez voted to have Macapagal-Arroyo as Speaker yet wants to be retained as the minority. Suarez's group was the minority group during the term of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

However, "the pertinent rule of the House of Representatives explicitly provides that those who vote for the winning Speaker constitute the majority," Lagman said.

The lawmaker also noted that it was the same during Alvarez's time. Suarez's group was the minority group despite its members having voted for Alvarez. Suarez also emerged second to Representative Teodoro Baguilat after Alvarez in the speakership race. 

Lagman's group "Legitimate 8" in 2016 said tradition dictates that the second-placer is the automatic leader of the minority bloc. However, Suarez became the minority leader then.

The lawmaker also noted that Suarez's group also campaigned for Arroyo's election.

Lagman also observed that Representative Rodolfo Fariñas, who was majority leader during Alvarez's term, "is being groomed to retain his position despite the incongruity that he was the ousted Speaker’s chief lieutenant."

He then said the "authentic minority" should be those who abstained from voting for Arroyo, as per House rules.

"Meanwhile, the group of Representatives who abstained from voting for Macapagal-Arroyo, which is the authentic Minority based on the House rules and recent jurisprudence, has not been recognized as the opposition despite its pending formal letter for recognition," Lagman said.

In reply, Suarez said on Saturday that only the position for Speaker was of concern amid the conflict on who will constitute the minority in the House of Representatives, and the rest is still "status quo."

"That's his [Lagman's] opinion. Ang amin naman is, there is only one position that was taken up for approval of the plenary: decision na may Speaker, and the rest is status quo," Suarez told GMA News Online via phone interview.

"Even the Majority leader is status quo. We may not agree with what happened, but that's their position and it's all right," he added.

Suarez said critics of his retainment of the minority leadership are free to go to court and challenge it. —With a report from Jamil Santos/KG, GMA News