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Lord Velasco meets with Sara Duterte amid speakership row

Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco met with presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte amid the ongoing speakership squabble at the House of Representatives.

In a photo shared with GMA News Online, Velasco was seen sharing a meal with Sara in Davao City. The meeting reportedly took place last Friday night.

For Oriental Mindoro Representative Salvador Leachon, who is allied with Velasco, the photo of the lawmaker's meeting with Sara "says it all."

"Mayor Sara Duterte has endorsed Cong. Lord Velasco as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives anytime this week but without interruption on the budget deliberation," he said.

"She’s doing it as a friend of Cong. Velasco. Besides, she believes that parties to the term-sharing agreement must be gentleman enough to comply," he added.

No less than Sara's father, President Rodrigo Duterte, brokered the term-sharing deal between Velasco and incumbent Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano around 15 months back.

Under the original term-sharing agreement, Cayetano is expected to hold the speakership for 15 months and Velasco will take over to finish the remaining 21 months.

"Non-adherence to agreement is a defiance to her father, as I perceive any daughter would feel, and we can’t deny it because there can be no interpretation other than that," Leachon said.

The lawmaker added that the meeting only supports the earlier statement of presidential son and Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte that Velasco has a right to assert his claim to the speakership.

Although he made such a statement, Paolo also acknowledged the "considerable number" of congressmen supporting Cayetano.

Given this, and since Velasco and Cayetano are both his friends, Paolo said he is steering clear of the speakership issue.

Moreover, Leachon said Velasco's meeting with Sara also intends to put an end to the House leadership squabble that "threatens fragmentation among members of Congress, sows disrespect to the wishes of the President including the hostage of the country’s budget."

The Davao City mayor reportedly had a hand in the ouster of then-Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez from the helm of the House. He was replaced by former President and Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Amid the speakership issue at the House, the President on Friday called for a special session of the House from October 13 to 16 “to resume the congressional deliberations on the proposed 2021 national budget and to avoid any further delays on its prompt passage.”

Both Velasco and Cayetano welcomed the call of the President for a special session. — DVM, GMA News