No talks yet on revamp of House leadership posts — Villafuerte

There are no talks about a revamp in leadership positions at the House of Representatives at the moment as the chamber wants to focus its attention on the 2021 budget deliberations.

Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte made the remark on Monday after a manifesto supporting Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano amid the speakership issue surfaced.

"With regards to the question of whether there will be a revamp with respect to House leaders who did not sign the manifesto, no revamp or changes being talked about now because our attention and focus is to pass the 2021 budget on or before October 15, 2020," he said.

If there will be changes, Villafuerte said it will depend on the consultation and consensus with the House leadership.

"The primordial objective [is] improving the performance of the House especially in delivering and passing legislative measures as committed by the President and the executive branch and more importantly in improving the government's ability for COVID-19 response and recovery and eliminating red tape and corruption in government," he added.

Villafuerte is among the 26 lawmakers holding key positions at the House who have affixed their signature to a manifesto of support for Cayetano.

But Deputy Speaker Dan Fernandez, who is one of the signatories, said in an interview with reporters on Monday that at least 202 House members have already signed the manifesto.

"With the show of overwhelming support by the 'supermajority' in the chamber and the pronouncement of the President that he would prefer that Congress and its members to decide on the speakership, everyone now in Congress is in work mode and focused on the deliberations and scrutiny of the 2021 budget to make it more responsive to the needs of the people especially in this time of the pandemic," Villafuerte said.

"With the supermajority signifying their desire for Speaker Alan to continue to lead the House of Representatives, it’s crystal clear that members have complete trust and faith in Speaker Alan to continue due to his proven performance and tested leadership," he added. 

Under the term-sharing agreement, Cayetano is expected to hold the speakership for 15 months and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco would take over to finish the next 21 months.

Last week, Velasco broke his silence on the issue of the term-sharing agreement with Cayetano, saying that although he had not been making comments on the matter, it did not mean that he was already disinterested or turned his back on the deal. — RSJ, GMA News