De Vera: I was elected House Minority Leader
ABS Rep. Eugene De Vera claimed Friday he is the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, in yet another multiple tug-of-war of leadership at the lower chamber’s minority bloc.
De Vera said he met with lawmakers and was elected House Minority Leader by 13 congressmen, including Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez on Thursday night.
“I remain to be Minority and I want to be Minority, and I had to do my job as the acting Minority Leader then, and now as the full-pledged Minority Leader, I am going to do my job,” he told ABS-CBN News Channel.
De Vera was earlier kicked out in the Minority by Quezon 3rd District Rep. Danilo Suarez, who insisted he remains the rightful Minority Leader even as he voted for the election of now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“Sorry Congressman Suarez, but you cannot kick me out of the Minority because you belong to the Majority,” De Vera said.
He also urged other lawmakers to shun politics in the issue and stick to the House rules instead.
“Please refer to the rules, and under the rules, I remain to be the minority leader,” he stressed. /kga
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