Members of the Nationalist Peoples' Coalition (NPC) will go with President Duterte's position in the escalating speakership row in the House of Representatives.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who currently heads the NPC, on Wednesday addressed claims about the political party's position amid the ongoing feud between House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco over the leadership of the lower chamber.
The NPC has 49 members in the House.
"'Yong partido namin, 'yong NPC, pinagbibintangan na kalaban daw, kampi daw kay Cong. Velasco, 'yong iba naman kay Cong. Cayetano. Pero ang alam namin, at solid ang NPC, sa pagsuporta kay Presidente (Our party, the NPC, has been accused of being an enemy, that we are supposedly for Cong. Velasco, while some claimed that we are for Cong. Cayetano. But as far as we are concerned, and the NPC is solid about this, we support the President)," Sotto said in an interview with Radyo 5.
"So, ang mentality ng NPC sa ngayon is, kung ano sinabi ng Presidente doon kami. Ganoon 'yon (So the NPC's mentality for now is whatever the President says, we are for it. That's how we think of it)," he said.
Asked if this means that the party will vote for Velasco whom Duterte had reportedly encouraged while insisting that Cayetano abide by their term-sharing agreement, Sotto said: "Kung 'yon ang implikasyon, 'yon ang mangyayari (If that is the implication, then that is bound to happen)."
"Pero (But) as far as I'm concerned, on my own, hindi ko hinihipo 'yang problema na 'yan (I refrain to involve myself in that issue). I can live with Speaker Cayetano, I can live with Speaker Velasco," he said.
In 2019, Cayetano and Velasco entered into a term-sharing agreement wherein the former would sit as House Speaker for the first 15 months while the latter would assume the post for the remaining 21 months.
The turnover was supposed to take place on October 14.
On Tuesday, however, the House of Representatives abruptly suspended its session until November 16 following Cayetano's motion to approve the proposed 2021 budget bill on second reading.
Sotto said Cayetano cited "several reasons" for this move when they spoke over the phone last night.
With the suspension of the sessions, members of the lower chamber cannot vote and formally elect Velasco as House Speaker.