Ouster plot vs Cayetano just a show – Atienza

As far as Buhay party-list Representative Lito Atienza was concerned, the supposed ouster plot against Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano was just a show that the Speaker himself had staged.

In an interview with reporters on Monday, Atienza insisted that there was no attempt to remove Cayetano from his position, even as Atienza had earlier suggested that the House may need to have a new Speaker following its inaction on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal bills.

"Yun ay talagang gawa-gawa nila para malibang na naman ang tao. Magagaling na entertainer ito. I say na dapat sila sa circus, entertain the public, entertain the crowd. In Congress, we don't need this kind of talk," Atienza said.

Cayetano earlier alleged that Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco was plotting to have him removed as Speaker by offering leadership posts to lawmakers and assuring them of extra budgetary allocations for their districts.

Velasco was set to assume Cayetano's position by October in accordance to their "15-21" term-sharing agreement brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte at the beginning of the 18th Congress.

But Atienza said Velasco was not one to hatch such schemes.

"He will not waste time on staging a coup. October lamang ay tapos na ang kanilang agreement," the party-list rep argued.

"Baka naman umaayaw si Speaker [sa agreement], at aawayin niya si Cong. Velasco. 'Dahil nag-away tayo, wala nang usapan.' Parang bata. Hindi usapang lalaki yun, yun ay usapang bata, batang isip," Atienza added.

Cayetano had earlier reiterated that he would honor the term-sharing agreement between him and Velasco.

However, he advised the congressmen and House leaders who were plotting against him to resign from their positions, which they could reclaim once Velasco was Speaker.

"If you cannot cooperate with the present leadership, umalis muna kayo sa committees niyo, sa chairmanship, bumalik na lang kayo kapag Speaker na si Cong. Velasco," Cayetano said in an earlier interview.

"But habang ako ang Speaker, we do things by consensus, kung ano ang tama yun ang gagawin natin." — DVM, GMA News