MalaoU
uslness
June 20,2OL9
Still no Duterte endorsement
for speaker, at least until June 28
BY WENDEIL VIGILIA
PRESIDENT Duterte did qot
endorse anyone to be the speaker
of the 18th Congtess when he
met with neophyte lawmakers in a
dirner hosted by his son, incomirg
Rep. Paolo Duterte, in Maiacaiang
last Tuesday night, accordiog to a
party-list lawmaker.
"There's no (ptesidential) en-
dorsement yet. It was purely a
social event which the President
graced upon the invitation of
Congressman Pulong ' said Rep.
Alftedo Garbin (PL, Ako Bicol),
adding that that least 90 lawmakers
STILL
Laban members,
Incoming Senator Chtistopher
. 'tsong" Go, io a chance interview,
said Dutette asked congress-
men who attended tlle dinner to
be given until June 28 to decide
whether he would endorse anyone
for the post of speaker.
'Acnrally humingi po ng konting
:panahon si Pangulong Duterte.
Talagaog nahihirapan po siya.
Lahat naman po ng mga kandi-
, dato ay magagaling. Competent
nanian po sila. Qualified po sila
maging... Speaket po ng House. At
si Pangulong Duterte
up to June 28, kung gusto nila
na si Pangulo tung mas nanaisin
-ni Pangulo na hindi na po siya
ang pumili," he said. ("Actually,
Plesident Duterte asked for a litde
time. He is having a hard time. All
candidates are good. They are all
'competent, They are all qualiGed
to be tle.,. Speaker the House,
'And President Duterte asked up to
June 28, if drey want the President
to choose, if the President prefets
.not to choose," he said.)
- Velasco said dre dinner '\vas an
-eveniog of fellowship to welcome
dre neophytes and get everybody
acquainted befotewe bucLle down
to work in the 1 8dr Congless start-
ing next mondr."
'r0Ve want to foste! camaraderie
among the incoming mem.bers
of the lSth Congtess so we can
work harmoniously and forward
our legislative ageoda, as well as
the administation's priority for drc
attended the "fellowship dimer."
Paolo, in a Facebook post, also
confirmed that no endotsement
#as made by his father during the
dinner held at the Maiagos Club-
house in Malacaiang
Garbin, the spokesman for
the 54-man Party-list Coalition
Foundation Inc. PCF!, could not
say if
the Ptesident will eventu-
ally choose his candidate but said
Dute rte is expected to make an im-
portant amouncement ooJune 28.
He said the President had want-
ed to make the announcemeot 72
hours before his fouth State of
the Nation Address (SONA) on
next tluee yeats, in order to uplift
the [ves of the Filipino people
and sustain the country's economic
grovth," he said.
Masbate Rep. Wilton Khqwho
also attended tlle event, said tlle
President tbld attendees that he
intends to make an announcement
onJune 28,
"The President said he vill make
an annourcement onJune9&but
he also didnt say what iCs about.
So we're expecting him to make an
endorsemeat," he said.
The Party-list Coalition last
said it was choosing berween
'veek
Velasco and Rep. Ferdinand Matin
Romualdez (I-akas, kpe) as their
fot speaker
caodidate
The other candidates for the
speaker's post who have failed to
win dre suppott of the bloc are
former speaker Pantaleon Alwrez
ard Reps, AIan Peter Cayetano 0,1P,
Taguig-Pateros) aodAutelio'Dong"
Gonzales @DP-Labaq Pampaaga).
The decision to nartow down
the gtoup's choices to two candi-
dates was teached after interview-
ing the aspirants in the ptevious
vreeks.
While presidential daughtet
Damo City Mayor Sara Dutette
has choseo Velasco as her petsonal
bet, the President has decided not
to "anoint" a candidate and iust let
. them batde it out on the foot when
the 18di Congress opens session.
Last mont!, dre President said
. he never mdde any commitment
that he would support any candi-
date after meeting separately with
the aspirants.
July 22 but chaflged his mind and
setded onJune 28.
"We were surprised that the
President came to the dinner and
spent time with us. The new con-
gtessmeo, as well as the returning
ones, appreciated the gesture of
the President to welcome us per-
sonally in the Palace despite his
busy schedule," said Garbin.
Among those who attended
the event were speaker candi-
Lord Allan Velasco of
dates Reps.
Madnduque and Aurelio Gonzales
of P4mpanga, who are both PDP-
See STILL ) Page 83
On Tuesday, Cayetano con-
firmed that the possibility of
term-sharing between him and
Velasco was broached in previous
discussions with the President.
Cayetano said he was open to
the idea of getting the first half
of the thtee-yeat term and leaving
the remainder to Velasco but dre
latter oppos'ed it even if the idea
odginally came from him.
He did not name names but Cay-
eano said some of his dr,als are
offeting as much as P200 million
worth of projects for each party-
iist grouP to secute their votes.
Ttre allegation came aftet Alva-
rcz and Gonzales claimed that as
much as P1 to P7 million is being
offered by thek rivals to buy votes.
In an interview in Clatk, Pam-
paflg , Cayetano said ttrose as-
pidng to be speaker could not
make such promises because the
annual budget for proj.ects should
be aligned widr the priorities of the
national government,
Cayetano said it would not look
good before *re pubiic if a cerain
congressional district would be al-
located a lump sum amount even if
t}re proposal did not come ftom the
Executive depattrnent which Ple-
pares the annual national budget.
"The President's order is that all
inftastructue will be in accordance
\rrith the national govelnment
Briority. So you can't just say, for
example, that you need P12 million
fot a pdority (project). It should be
aligned with the national govern-
ment's pdorities," he sud. - With
Jocclln Mantunalot