Marinduque solon OK with accepting House majority leader position if offered

Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco on Wednesday said he would accept the position of House Majority Leader if it is offered to him.

Velasco made the remark in response to rumors that there is also a reorganization in the leadership of the House of Representatives, just like what happened in the Senate.

"If the position is open and it's offered to me, why not?" he told reporters in an ambush interview.

Velasco said he has also heard about the supposed reorganization, but he could not confirm it.

"I heard about it. Just like before, remember there was a rumor a couple of months ago that there will be a change of leadership here in the House, but definitely it was all rumor," he said.

An earlier newspaper report, citing an unnamed lawmaker, said that some lawmakers from Mindanao are going around Northern Luzon to gather support to install former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Speaker, replacing Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez.

Meanwhile, Velasco is reportedly being eyed to replace Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas as majority leader.

The results of this meeting and consultation will then be forwarded to President Rodrigo Duterte for his approval, the report said.

Velasco pointed to the recent change of leadership in the Senate as the reason why such a rumor is being floated again at the House of Representatives.

Despite this, Velasco believes that there will be no reorganization in the leadership at the chamber.

"I guess it got floated again that there might be a change in leadership and I think from what I heard yesterday, they were actually looking at me to be next majority leader," he said.

"Honestly, I'm just really surprised because these are just rumors. I don't think there's going to be a change of leadership in the House," he added.

Alvarez has already dismissed rumors of an ouster plot against him as mere hearsay.

"Kuwento lang 'yun," Alvarez said in a chance interview in Tagum City in April, adding he is not afraid of such threats. —KG, GMA News