Speaker Velasco vows House independence amid close ties with Duterte, Sara

Despite the support of some members of the Duterte family for him, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco assured the public that the House of Representatives will be independent from the executive branch.

Interviewed on Unang Balita on Monday, Velasco said it has not been President Rodrigo Duterte's style to meddle with House affairs.

“Very independent po. Kung nakikita lang po natin kung papaaano mag-trabaho si Pangulo. He actually gives the free hand doon sa ating mga leader para gawin nila ang dapat na gawin,” he said.

“Kung may kailangan pong imbestigahan hindi niya po tayo mapipigilan,” he added.

Velasco admitted that the endorsement of President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, was a big push for his election as Speaker against Taguig City-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Sa tingin ko malaking tulong din po talaga si Mayor Sara Duterte. Alam naman po natin 'ang impluwensya na meron po si Ma'am Sara,” Velasco said.

“And I think that was a big push dito po sa pag-upo natin bilang Speaker po ng House,’ he added.

Mayor Duterte and her party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, had endorsed the enforcement of a term-sharing deal between Velasco and Cayetano, under which Velasco was supposed to take over the post starting October.

Under his leadership, Velasco said he will focus on the legislation of bills involving livelihood, food security, education, and health in light of the pandemic.

Velasco succeeded Cayetano after 186 lawmakers ratified his election on October 13, hours before the start of the four-day special session called by Duterte for the House of Representatives to deliberate the proposed 2021 national budget.

Before that, Velasco had been in a row with then-Speaker Cayetano over the leadership of House.

President Duterte had urged Velasco to fight for the Speakership as it was his right under the term-sharing deal that the President himself brokered last year.
—KBK, GMA News