AT LEAST four of 10 district lawmakers from Cebu voted for Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to become Speaker of the House last Monday.
One signed the resolution that supported her bid for the speakership, but it wasn’t clear if he voted. Another would have voted for her but had left immediately after President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
In Cebu City, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he expects that a House led by Arroyo will be “more friendly and supportive.”
“She’s very close to the Cebuanos. Remember that she’s the only president in the history of the Philippines who took her oath of office before the people of Cebu. She’s very close to the people of Cebu who gave her a resounding majority (when she ran for president). She won’t forget that,” Osmeña said.
Sixteen months ago, Arroyo lost a position of leadership in the Lower House because she had voted against reviving the death penalty.
A smooth transition
On Monday, she replaced the man who had stripped her of her designation as deputy speaker, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez. While both are allies of President Duterte, Alvarez had run afoul of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, a potential candidate in the Senate elections in 2019.
Arroyo created yesterday a transition committee to help her ensure a smooth transition.
Among the 184 who voted for her to become House speaker last Monday night were Reps. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu Province, fourth district), Ramon “Red” Durano VI (Cebu Province, fifth), Raul del Mar (Cebu City, North), and Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, South).
Another Cebuano, Raymond Democrito Mendoza, said he also voted for Speaker Arroyo. Unlike the others, Mendoza is not a district but a party-list lawmaker, representing the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.
At least two other district congressmen from Cebu failed to vote on the new House leadership because they immediately left after the SONA. But Reps. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas (Cebu Province, first) and Peter John Calderon (Cebu Province, seventh) said they welcomed the change.
Gullas said that before the vote, he spoke with former speaker Alvarez and Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and told them of his plan to commit to Arroyo.
Party decisions
In a statement, Rep. Jonas Cortes (Cebu Province, sixth) said he signed the resolution with other Cebu lawmakers and members of the Visayan bloc to support Arroyo for Speaker. It wasn’t clear if he had stayed after the SONA to vote.
SunStar could not confirm as of press time Tuesday how Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia (Cebu Province, third), Wilfredo Caminero (Cebu Province, second), and Aileen Radaza (Lapu-Lapu City) voted.
Salimbangon said it was the decision of his party, the National Unity Party, to support Arroyo. He said he hoped that Speaker Arroyo will support his bills, including the declaration of a special economic zone in Bogo, Medellin and Daanbantayan.
Durano said it was also the decision of his party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition, to support Arroyo against Alvarez, who recently sparked a controversy by saying there might not be an election in May 2019.
“I believe she (Arroyo) will support my bills to improve my district,” Durano said.
Abellanosa said he was confident in Arroyo’s abilities as speaker, as she understands what the country needs.
“I signed the manifesto and voted for GMA to take over the House leadership from Speaker Alvarez. His pronouncements against the Cebu City BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) project and his support for the opposition group in Cebu City are key points that influenced my vote for GMA as speaker,” Abellanosa said.
He noted that when Alvarez was the House speaker, the bulk of appropriations went to Mindanao, and the lawmakers close to him got P4 billion in projects, while those who opposed him got zero.
He is hoping there will be changes in the budget for next year, now that Arroyo will preside over the Lower House when it begins budget deliberations in October.
Local party implications
For his part, Calderon said he does not know to expect with a new speaker in charge.
But he believes that Arroyo’s relationship with the legislators from Cebu will not change, especially since she has been a “friend of Cebu” since her presidency.
Osmeña said that a change in leadership in the House was among his wishes for his 70th birthday, which will be tomorrow, July 26.
Now that Alvarez is no longer speaker, Osmeña said he can assure the barangay captains that they will get equal shares of projects from the national government.
“President Duterte is not active in PDP-Laban (Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan). His own daughter hates PDP-Laban. The president of PDP-Laban (Aquilino) Koko Pimentel is no longer Senate president. Now Alvarez, who is now with PDP-Laban, is no longer speaker of the house,” he said.
But for Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, president of PDP-Laban in Cebu City, believes there’s no need to worry that such a shift in national politics would have an effect on local alliances.
“I don’t think that it will affect because, after all, the president is with PDP-Laban and they’re all allies with PDP-Laban,” he said.
Labella said the decision of the majority in the Lower House should be respected if they see the need to change the leadership.
“Considering her (Arroyo’s) experience as a former president, I think she can help a lot and she has ascendency over many of the members of Congress. I think she can perform well as expected of her. The job of the speaker is relatively easy for her to perform,” Labella said. (JKV, EOB, RVC WITH RTF & FVQ OF SUPERBALITA CEBU)