THE House leadership impasse finally ended Wednesday after Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez was elected as the Minority Floor Leader.
During a caucus by lawmakers who declared themselves part of the minority bloc, Suarez was able to secure the support of 22 lawmakers.
This developed after two days of uncertainty when the House failed to determine minority leadership right after the election of the Speaker on Monday.
Those who voted for Suarez were himself, Lito Atienza (Buhay Party-list), Luis Campos (Makati City), Monsour del Rosario (Makati City), Harry Roque (Kabayan Paty-list), Delphine Lee (AGRI Party-list), Orestes Salon (AGRI-Party-list) and Anna Villaraza Suarez (ALONA Party-list); and those who initially chose to abstain during the election for Speakership including Harlin Neil Abayon (Northern Samar), Arlene Arcillas (Laguna), Joseph Bernos (Abra), Oscar Garbin (Ako Bicol Party-list), Abigail Ferriol-Pascual (Kalinga Party-list), Eugene de Vera (ABS Party-list), Julieta Cortuna (A-Teacher Party-list), Arnel Cerafica (Taguig City), Anthony Bravo (COOP-NATCO Party-list), Aniceto Bertiz (ACTS-OFW Party-list), and Amanda Bagatsing (Manila).
Representatives Rodel Batocabe (Ako Bicol Party-list), Ma. Lourdes Aggabao (Isabela), and James Garin (AAMBIS-OWA Party-list) abstained from voting.
Suarez and Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr. were the two members of the minority who vied for the speakership later won by Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez. During the election, Baguilat placed second after gathering eight votes while Suarez was only able to secure the support of seven lawmakers.
Twenty-one of their colleagues abstained from voting.
Based on House Rules, those who abstained can choose later whether to join the majority or be part of the minority bloc.
Traditionally, the runner-up in the speakership race should automatically be the Minority Floor Leader.
But prior to the start of the election, Buhay Party-list Representative Lito Atienza--an ally of Suarez--made a parliamentary inquiry on whether the candidate with the second highest number of votes should be the leader of minority just like what happened during the previous 16th Congress.
Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas, then-acting majority floor leader, answered that based on existing House Rules, those who did not vote for the winning candidate will automatically be part of the minority, and will later select their leader.
Fariñas explained that those who are entitled to vote for the minority leadership are lawmakers who voted for the losing speaker contenders.
But if that concept will be followed, Baguilat argued that Suarez should not be allowed to take part since he voted for House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and therefore should be part of the majority.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman accused the House leadership of “bastardizing” the process, as members who later voted for Suarez are originally allies of the majority bloc.
Lagman accused the House majority of putting up a so-called “company union” inside the minority bloc since those who later supported Suarez were originally part of the “Coalition for Change” who pledged support for the speakership of Alvarez.
Lagman, Baguilat, and six others did not participate in Wednesday's caucus.
On Monday, Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco resigned as president and member of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) after he disclosed that the supermajority is maneuvering and fixing the voting to secure the victory of his party-mate Suarez as minority floor leader.
Tiangco said the majority bloc did not want any member of Liberal Party (LP), which counts Baguilat as a member, to bag the minority leadership, adding that the supermajority is willing to lend some of their allied lawmakers to secure the victory of Suarez.
He said that Baguilat should have been proclaimed Minority Floor Leader right after the election of House Speaker on Monday. (Sunnex)