Deputy Speaker and Abono Partylist Rep. Conrado Estrella III on Sunday, March 14, assailed as “baseless and pure fake news” media reports claiming that Speaker Lord Allan Velasco is planning to oust Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as majority leader of the House of Representatives.
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“Whoever has been spreading this fake news does not know Speaker Velasco. The speaker knows pretty much that the country must unite for a common purpose of fighting off COVID-19 and that this is not time for politics,” said Estrella.
“Our leader (Velasco) knows that we should be sending doves to our critics, not wolves, in order for us to join hands in addressing the COVID crisis and in saving Filipino lives,” stated Estrella, considered as among the well-respected statesmen in the Lower Chamber.
The alleged plan to relieve Romualdez as majority leader was reported by the media after the House leadership sacked Reps. Wilter Palma of Zamboanga Sibugay and Onyx Crisologo of Quezon City as deputy majority leader and asst. majority leader, respectively.
Palma and Crisologo are both members of Lakas-CMD which is headed by Romualdez as party president.
Palma was reportedly booted out for allegedly failing to “control” floor debates when Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor delivered a privilege speech accusing Velasco of re-aligning P20-billion originally allocated for the pension and gratuity fund for retired members of the uniformed services.
A member of the House minority said, blame should be pinned not on Palma, but on Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Partylist Rep. Bernadette Herrera because she was the one presiding when Defensor and other solons took turns in criticizing Velasco on the floor.
On the other hand, the current House leadership allegedly resented Crisologo decision to receive the group of Velasco critic, Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, during a visit to his congressional district in QC on February 27.
Both Palma and Crisologo neither denied nor confirmed the said reports.
Meanwhile, a senior administration congressman, who requested anonymity, denied claims that Velasco visited Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte recently to personally seek her permission to fire Romualdez as majority leader.
“I am not at liberty to reveal what they (Velasco and Duterte) discussed but Martin was never mentioned,” the source said.
Asked to comment, Estrella said he believes that the source was telling the truth.
“We hope those behind these, should stop sowing intrigue which is the last thing that we need now. The speaker will never waste his time on politics, he worries more about COVID-19 situation in the country,” the partylist solon pointed out.
He added: “We still have a lot of bill to deliberate on and pass, many of them aimed at addressing the pandemic. Let us just do our job.”