Pulong out in speakership race

FIRST district representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte is backing out in the race of the House Speakership.

In an issued statement on Saturday, July 6, Duterte said the decision was mutually agreed between him and his father, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, July 4.

“I have personally spoken to President Rodrigo Duterte Thursday night in Davao City regarding my plan to run for speaker of the House of Representatives,” the House representative said.

“We both agreed that this will not be the right time for me to be Speaker and I can still help his administration from the House in a different capacity,” he added.

Duterte, previously, declined offers of him running for the speakership. He said he is not interested to lead the House.

However, he changed his mind after talking to Representative Alan Peter Cayetano, who is also running for House Speaker.

Cayetano is pushing for “term sharing” as a win-win solution to the ongoing tension in the speaking. Duterte, meanwhile, proposed to have the term sharing by electing House Speakers from Luzon, Visayan, Mindanao, and from the party list bloc.

However, this was opposed by the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), the regional party of his sister, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

HNP said term sharing will hinder the passage of priority legislation of the President, who is down to his last three years.

Meanwhile, Pulong said he will focus on leading his political party, Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, wherein he is the president.

He also said he will support third district representative Isidro Ungab, HNP’s candidate for the House Speakership.

Duterte also said the President is also aware of Ungab’s candidacy for the position.