Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PPAB

Pampanga 2nd district congresswoman and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo' has been removed as deputy speaker in the House of Representatives. 

Replacing Arroyo was Isabela 1st district Rep. Tonypet Albano. 

This change in the leadership was approved during plenary session Tuesday night, Nov. 7. Deputy Speaker Antipolo City 1st district Rep. Roberto Puno presided over the session. 

Also unseated as deputy speaker during the session was Davao City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab. He was replaced by Lanao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Yasser Alonto Balindong. 

Deputy Majority Leader Cagayan 1st district Rep. Ramon Nolasco Jr. made the separate motions to remove Arroyo and Ungab. He was also the one who named their replacements

Puno carried the motions after hearing no objections from the floor. 

Arroyo and Ungab were booted from their plum posts a day after their apparent snub of House Resolution (HR) No.1414. Out of the eight deputy speakers and lone senior deputy speaker in the House, only the two didn't co-author the measure. 

The resolution is titled "Upholding the integrity and honor of the House of Representatives and expressing appreciation, solidarity, and support to the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez".   

The measure was pursued in the light of former president Rodrigo Duterte's recent tirades against the House and Romualdez. 

Arroyo and Romualdez both belong to the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party. She is the party's chairperson emeritus, while he is the party president.  

READ THIS:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/6/why-didn-t-arroyo-co-author-key-measure-backing-romualdez

Ordinary congresswoman 

Arroyo, 76, was in a very different place at the start of the 19th Congress last year. She was sworn on Aug. 17, 2022 as senior deputy speaker--a position that's second only to Romualdez in the House. 

Then, on May 17, 2023, she was relegated to deputy speaker after she was linked to an alleged "leaked coup plot" against Romualdez. She denied having any hand in the alleged coup plot. 

The deputy speaker's post made Arroyo an ex-officio member of all House committees. She currently has no committee membership. 

Arroyo figured in an informal meeting with Duterte last September wherein she reportedly tried to convince the latter to become active again in politics. 

Arroyo was president from 2001 to 2010, while Duterte’s Palace term lasted from 2016 to 2022.