(UPDATED) Allies of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco have made a call to assemble, move and vote to declare the position of House of Representatives Speaker vacant on Monday, October 12, 2020.
In a manifesto circulated early Monday morning, 15 lawmakers also called on the 187 members of the solid majority of the House to move and cast their vote for Velasco as the new Speaker.
Rule 3, Section 13 of the Rules of the House of Representatives states, “A vacancy is created whenever any of the officers dies, resigns, or is permanently incapacitated, or when the House declares any office vacant.”
Velasco’s allies convened for a breakfast meeting Monday at the Celebrity Sports Plaza, according to Albay Representative Joey Salceda, one of the 15 lawmakers who signed the manifesto. In an interview over television, Salceda said 167 House members have committed to support Velasco and unseat Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano based on a term-sharing deal on the speakership.
The meeting was held a day ahead of the special session that President Rodrigo Duterte called for under Proclamation No. 1027.
The lower chamber suspended session on October 6, 10 days ahead of its approved schedule for recess, following the termination of debates on the proposed 2021 budget and passage on second reading of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Duterte issued the directive for a special session on October 9 to ensure that the GAB is approved by Congress and enacted into law before the year ends.
The proposed budget for 2021 will fund programs aimed at supporting the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) epidemic in the country and reversing the economic collapse caused by the pandemic.
The Velasco camp manifesto was signed by the following: