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Manila Bulletin devider devider Siblings, husband and wife tandems nothing new in Lower House

Siblings, husband and wife tandems nothing new in Lower House

Published Oct 18, 2018 04:37 pm
By Ben Rosario Family members such as siblings, parent and offspring; and uncle and nephews serving at the same time as congressmen are no longer new in the House of Representatives. So are husband and wife tandems. The Joint Session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao commences in the Plenary of the Batasang Pambansa on December 13, 2017. (ALVIN KASIBAN / MANILA BULLETIN) (MANILA BULLETIN) Critics have assailed resigned Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and wife, outgoing Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, for seeking separate congressional seats in the city. Since attempts to pass an anti-dynasty law have become disappointing failures, there is no law prohibiting family members occupying elective seats at the same time. Examining the roll of members of the Lower house, there are two couples currently serving as lawmakers. Reps. Rodito Albano (NP, Isabela) and wife, Mylene Garcia-Albano (PDP-Laban, Davao City), together with Reps. Estrellita Suansing (PDP-Laban, Nueva Ecija) and Horacio Suansing (PDP-Laban, Sultan Kudarat), are in the membership roll of the 17th Congress. The only difference between the incumbent Lower House couples and the Cayetanos is the fact that the latter will be running in the same locality, Taguig City. Cayetano said there is nothing morally and legally wrong in the political situation he and his wife are enmeshed in. The closest that the Lower House currently have to the Cayetano couple’s situation is that of former Speaker and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. whose nephew, Rep. Kit Belmonte. Both represent different congressional districts in Quezon City. Rep. Ricardo Belmonte Jr. is the third Belmonte in the Lower House but this nephew of the former speaker represents the SBP partylist. In the current Congress, sibling rivalry between sons of former Speaker Prospero Nograles was prevented. To avoid such situation, Rep. Karlo Nograles was allowed to finish his third and final term as Davao City congressman while younger brother, Koko, was fielded as PBA Partylist nominee and won a congressional seat. There have also been mother and son and father and son teams in the House of Representatives in the past Congresses. It will be recalled that former president and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was elected Pampanga congresswoman as his younger son, former Rep. Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo, was serving as Camarines Sur representative. Albano was partylist congressman during the 13th Congress when his father, Rodolfo, was completing a third and final term as representative of Isabela. Former Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia and son, former Rep. Pablo John Garcia were members of the 15th Congress representing Cebu second and third congressional districts, respectively.
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