CEBU has two deputy speakers of the House of Representatives in the current 19th Congress for the term from 2022 to 2025. They are Representative Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco of Cebu’s Fifth District and Representative Raymond Democrito Mendoza of party-list TUCP or Trade Unions Congress of the Philippines.
The last time Cebu had two deputy speakers was 15 years ago, in the 14th Congress, 2007 to 2010, when Pablo Garcia of Cebu’s Third District and Raul del Mar of Cebu City’s First District held the position and title. The two congressmen, now both deceased, were among five House deputy speakers at the time.
The current deputy speakers from Cebu took their oath before Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez this week: Mendoza last July 26 and Frasco, July 27.
‘ONLY A HANDFUL’ THIS TIME. The two Cebuanos are among only nine deputy speakers. Speaker Romualdez promised last July 16 there would be “only a handful” of deputy speakers during his term. But the number of deputies could go up, as it did in the last two Congresses: 20 in the 17th Congress and 42 (!) in the 18th Congress, just before this Congress.
Only one deputy speaker in the Eighth and Ninth Congress, two in the 10th, six in the 11th, three in the 12th, five each in the 13th and 14th, six each in the 15th and 16th, then, boom, 20 in the 17th and 42 in the 18th Congress.
OTHER DEPUTY SPEAKERS. Mendoza and Frasco are the seventh and eighth House deputy speakers from Cebu, counting from 1987, the start of the post-Edsa Eighth Congress.
The earlier six in the Cebu roster were, in the order of the term or terms served:
[1] Antonio Cuenco, from 1987 to 1992, Eighth Congress, deputy to Speaker Ramon Mitra.
[2] Eduardo Gullas, 1998 to 2000, 11th Congress, to Speaker Manny Villar;
[3] Raul del Mar, 2004 to 2007, 13th Congress, to Speaker Jose de Venecia; 2007 to 2010, 14th Congress, to Speakers de Venecia and Prospero Nograles.
[4] Pablo Garcia, 2007 to 2010, 14 Congress, to Speakers de Venecia and Nograles.
[5] Gwendolyn Garcia, 2016 to 2019, 17th Congress, to Speakers Pantaleon Alvarez and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
[6] Pablo John Garcia, 2019 to 2022, 18th Congress, to Speakers Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Alan Velasco.
RECORD HOLDERS. Only two from Cebu so far achieved the record of serving two terms as deputy speaker under two Congresses: Raul del Mar, 13th and 14th Congress, and Pablo Garcia, 14th and 15th Congress. It was in the 14th Congress that Cebu first had two, among a total of five deputy speakers, a feat repeated in the current Congress, which is also two, but out of nine.
The Garcias are the only family from Cebu that produced three deputy speakers: father Pablo and children Gwen and PJ, in a span of 15 years.
Other than the deputy speakership, the second highest ranking office in the House, Partylist Congressman Mendoza holds another record of sort: having served five consecutive terms and is now serving his sixth term, non-stop, uninterrupted by term limit.
[Related story: July 5, 2021 Explainer: Cebu’s Rep. Raymond Mendoza of TUCP party-list is serving 5th consecutive term, may start his sixth in 2022. How his party ‘beat’ term limit.