Plenary session in the House of Representatives adjourned early Tuesday, Nov. 16 amid rumors of an impending coup aimed at ousting Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.and Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Romualdez quickly addressed the controversy by declaring in a press statement that he has no intention of taking over Velasco’s post.
“I would like to appeal to everyone to stop all speculations on a change of leadership at the House of Representatives at this time,” Romualdez said in a press statement.
“I have no intention to effect any leadership change, especially the speakership. I am man of honor, and I fully abide with the gentlemen’s agreement forged in front of President Duterte in 2019,” he said.
As it turned out, however, the alleged ouster plot is aimed at both Romualdez and Velasco, who are close supporters of Mayor Duterte.
It has been the tactic of House leaderships to adjourn session early or avoid holding regular sessions whenever they sense the danger of coup plots. This move buys the endangered leadership time to avert ouster.
A check at the membership rolls of the Lower House indicated that only members of PDP-Laban are capable of declaring all seats vacant and changing the Lower House leadership considering that the party accounts for nearly 70 percent of the total number of congressmen.
PDP-Laban is the political party of Mayor Duterte’s father, President Rodrigo Duterte who brokered the House leadership agreement among Velasco, Romualdez and former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, the leading contenders in for the speakership race at the start of the 18th Congress in 2019.
A rift has been reported between the Dutertes in the wake of Mayor Duterte’s decision to run for vice president under Romualdez’s Lakas-CMD party.
The move prompted Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, longtime aide of President Duterte, to withdraw his candidacy as PDP-Laban’s vice presidential bet and run instead for president under a different political group.
Go will challenge Partido Federalismo ng Pilipinas presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has endorsed Mayor Duterte for vice president.
Velasco, while still a ranking officer of PDP-Laban, has reportedly been targeted for removal as speaker due to his close alliance with the presidential daughter whom he helped campaign for Hugpong ng Pagbabago senatorial candidates in 2019.
On the other hand, Romualdez is a first cousin of Marcos, who accompanied him in talks with Mayor Duterte in Cebu recently.
Unseating both Velasco and Romualdez as top Lower House leaders will prevent pro-Sara congressmen from getting hold of congressional funds for infrastructure that could be used to promote a Bongbong-Sara candidacy, a senior administration solon who requested anonymity opined.
The source, however, aired doubts any move to oust Velasco and Romualdez will succeed.