Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has reminded his allies in the House of Representatives that their support for his leadership will be rendered meaningless if “it does not result in a better life for the people.”
Cayetano thanked leaders of various political parties and regional coalitions for issuing statements of support for him to remain speaker, notwithstanding the President Duterte-brokered gentleman’s term-sharing agreement with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco last year.
Aside from manifestations on the floor declaring their stand for the speaker to finish a three-year term, lawmakers from various provinces issued manifestos proposing the same.
Cavite Reps. Abraham Tolentino, Jesus Crispin Remulla, Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Strike Revilla, Alex Advincula, Luis Ferrer IV, and Francis Gerald Abaya cited Cayetano as a “dependable ally” of the Duterte administration.
“He led this Congress to become one of the most productive yet,” the lawmakers said.
San Jose del Monte Rep. Rida Robes called on her colleagues to set aside talks of leadership change and concentrate on the passage of the proposed 2021 national budget.
“All talks about changing the leadership during this time when we are tackling a measure aimed at helping our countrymen recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are ill-timed,” Robes said in a statement.
She added: “I personally commend the tandem of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as they have been working seamlessly to pass important measures for the people, including those that are part of the legislative agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte.”
Reacting to the backing of his majority bloc colleagues, Cayetano said he is “eternally grateful to every member of Congress for your continued trust and support in the leadership of this House of the People”
In a Facebook Live post on Wednesday, Cayetano said the show of support from his colleagues would be “meaningless” if it does not result in a better life for the people.
“Bale wala ang support if we stay in office pero we don’t deliver yung priorities ng administration at pangangailangan ng tao. So, yun po ang puno’t dulo. Hindi po pondo ang pag-uusapan dito kundi priorities. (This show of support will be meaningless if we stay in office but don’t deliver the priorities of the administration and the needs of the people. That’s the point of it all. It’s not the funds we’re talking about but our priorities),” he said.
Cayetano vowed that Congress will attend to the needs of every district and sector but added that no amount of “blackmailing” “hostage-taking” will force them to allow “pork, parking, or corruption.”
But for real needs, he said he and Romualdez will make sure no House member will be neglected.