Velasco says original term-sharing deal was followed in House committee chairmanships

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Monday said the original term-sharing deal he had with Taguig-Pateros Representative and former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano was followed in maintaining House committee chairmanships.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Velaso pointed out that Cayetano already broke this deal after he denied him the speakership four times.

“Unang-una sa lahat, ‘yung hinihingi niya na ‘palabra de honor’ na-break na niya po ‘yan. ‘Yung kanyang pagtupad sa term-sharing, binreak na niya po ‘yan apat na beses,” Velasco said.

“But at the end of the day, sinabi ko nga ‘yung original na term-sharing po namin, ang nakasaad po doon ang magpapalit lang po ay kami lang ng Speaker at ‘yung chair of accounts,” he said.

“Naipakita naman po natin na pati ‘yung majority leader ko po—ang majority leader ay kasama rin po ‘yan sa term-sharing— ay siya pa rin ang majority leader natin, si Majority Leader Martin Romualdez," he added.

Earlier, Cayetano once again called on Velasco to "honor" his word by not replacing any of the leadership positions at the House of Representatives.

Cayetano made the remark after chairpersons of two committees at the House were replaced, which he said should not be the case under their term-sharing agreement.

He claimed that some allies of Velasco have been talking congressmen out of their positions, and are even taking their offices.

As part of the term sharing agreement, Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte, son of President Rodrigo Duterte, was elected as chairman of the House Committee on Accounts. 

Quezon Representative Helen Tan was also already reinstated as chairman of the House Committee on Health.

President Duterte brokered a term-sharing deal between Cayetano and Velasco in 2019. Under the agreement, Cayetano will sit as Speaker for the first 15 months, then Velasco will take over the next 21 months in the 18th Congress.

Tension between the Cayetano and Velasco camps was sparked last month after Negros Oriental 3rd District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. pointed out the supposedly bigger allocations for infrastructure projects in the districts of Cayetano and Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte.

This triggered a new wave of the speakership talks at the House.

Cayetano offered to resign on Sept. 30, but this was promptly rejected by House members in attendance that day.

On Oct. 13, House members met outside the Batasang Pambansa to elect Velasco as the new Speaker. 

This was ratified by 186 House members the following day at the Batasang Pambansa. —KG, GMA News