Second biggest political party in House backs Cayetano as Speaker
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2019 12:16:55 +0000
THE National Unity Party, the second biggest political party at the House of Representatives, endorsed on Monday former Foreign Affairs secretaryAlan Peter Cayetano as its next Speaker in the 18th Congress.
“The NUP leadership is inclined towards former congressman, former senator, and former Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who we believe is someone all congressmen can look up to, and like Speaker Arroyo, was with President [Rodrigo] Duterte from the start and has a proven track record,” NUP Chairman Ronaldo Puno said in a statement.
Cayetano, who filed his candidacy as representative of the first district of Taguig, was among the top contenders who may take over the post of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“We believe the next Speaker must be someone who has the competence and proven ability to support and help carry out the programs and policies of the Duterte administration,” Puno said.
The party also belied claims that it would be fielding its own candidate for Speakership after House Majority Leader and NUP president Fredenil Castro saud he was not interested in the post.
Aside from Cayetano, former Leyte representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco are both eyeing the House leadership when Arroyo retires on June 30.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio mentioned the names of the three aspirants in one of the campaign sorties of her regional political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
Romualdez himself had confirmed Duterte-Carpio’s recent statement that he was also interested in the Speakership as he was determined to “push the legislative agenda of the President.”
“Many congressmen aspire for that position. I am humbled and honored that she (Duterte-Carpio) mentioned my name as one of the contenders,” he said.
Duterte-Carpio herself strongly denounced the statement of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) that it was fielding former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
The Davao City mayor reportedly “maneuvered” the ouster of Alvarez last year so that Arroyo could take over the Speakership. GLEE JALEA
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