Zarate: Talk about House minority leadership is still premature

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate on Wednesday said talking about House minority leadership this time is still premature, because the race for the Speaker post despite President Rodrigo Duterte's endorsement, is far from over.

Zarate, the Makabayan Bloc's candidate for Speaker,  made the remark after former Majority Leader Capiz Representative Fredenil Castro said he is considering taking the minority leadership position.

According to Zarate, the race for the Speaker post seems to be continuing even as Duterte declared he has chosen Taguig City Representative Alan Peter Cayetano for the position because not all lawmakers are satisfied with the term sharing scheme between him and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco.

He also mentioned the supposed text messages urging lawmakers not to support the term sharing agreement.

"Ang pag-float ng minority leader issue ngayon ay mukhang smokescreen lang para pagtakpan ang namumuong banggaan pa ng Kongreso," Zarate said.

For Zarate, the minority leadership should be held by someone who is at least a part of the true minority in the House —one that opposes "anti-democratic and anti-people policies" of the Duterte administration.

"Mahirap namang hawak na nga nila ang leadership ng Congress ay pati minority leadership ay kukunin pa nila," he said.

"Hindi uubra ang isang 'company union' sa Kongreso ngayon lalo pa at Cha-cha ang pangunahing isasalang sa pagbubukas ng 18th Congress," he added. —LBG, GMA News