Solons offered P500k to P1M in exchange for votes for House Speaker, Alvarez claims

Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez has claimed that between P500,000 to P1 million were offered to each congressman in exchange for their votes for aspirants to the top House of Representatives post.

"Ang dinig ko, dinig ko lang naman, kagaya ng mga sinabi sa akin ng mga kasamahan ko, mayroong nag-offer ng P500,000 per congressman and then sinagot naman tig-P1 million per congressman," Alvarez, who himself is vying for the speakership, told CNN Philippines in an interview on Tuesday.

Alvarez added that once a congressman receives the money from the speaker-aspirant, the former would have to sign a "manifesto of support."

He, however, did not name aspirants who allegedly resort to such activity, nor the congressmen who supposedly receive the money.

"Wala namang aamin e," Alvarez said. "Pero hindi naman ibig sabihin na talagang boboto sila nang ganun."

Alvarez is one of the four congressmen who have expressed interest in taking the speakership position in the next Congress, the others being Taguig City Representative-elect Alan Peter Cayetano, Leyte Representative-elect Martin Romualdez, and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco.

But unlike others whom he claimed are resorting to a form of vote buying, Alvarez said he would rather leave his speakership bid to God.

"Parang ang hirap eh, hindi na rin maganda. Kaya sabi ko, sige, okay lang. Kayo na lang. Ako, okay na ako. I will just work in accordance with the plans of God," he said.

In a separate interview with ANC television, Velasco denied giving such a huge amount of money to each congressman to vote for him.

"I am not giving away P1 million. Each congressman has his own views and that could not be bought easily," Velasco said.

GMA News Online has also reached out to Romualdez and Cayetano for their comments, but they have yet to reply as of posting time. — Erwin Colcol/RSJ, GMA News