Political tensions 'already defused', 'leave it at that'--PDP-Laban solon

Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel (left) and Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. (Facebook, Speaker's office)


A veteran congressman from the Rodrigo Duterte-led Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) has claimed that the political tensions in the House of Representatives have ended. "A political exercise done to ensure that the House of Representatives continues to work smoothly and in sync with the legislative agenda of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. should not be misconstrued for anything else," Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel1 said in a statement Thursday, June 8. "The tensions have already been defused following the leadership movements in the House. Let us not exaggerate this anymore," added Pimentel, secretary general of PDP-Laban. PDP-Laban is chaired by former president Duterte, father of Vice President Sara Duterte. "We have so much work to do in Congress to be able to fulfill the President’s agenda of  economic renewal and prosperity for all Filipinos. As noted by the Vice President, political disagreements stand as part and parcel of the democratic process," said Pimentel, also Commission on Appointments (CA) assistant minority leader. "Let us leave it at that and focus instead on realizing our collective goal of providing a safe, comfortable life for every Filipino," he added.

Gonzales credits Romualdez

Meanwhile, another senior PDP-Laban stalwart, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. credited Speaker Martin Romualdez for the House's high output during the first regular session, which was concluded last week. During the first regular session of the 19th Congress, the House approved on third and final reading 33 out of the 42 priority measures of the Marcos administration. “Our record speaks for itself. We are comprehensively addressing the everyday issues our people face: from the high cost of commodities, to unemployment and other economic challenges. We are focused on matters that are important to our people and to the Marcos administration,” Gonzales said in a separate statement Thursday. “One thing is clear: Speaker Martin has created an atmosphere of certainty and trust. His strong, compassionate leadership brought all of us together to work on a single vision: to pass measures focused on achieving a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Philippines,” he said. “I hope that with his guidance, we continue to uphold the oath we swore to the Filipino people,” said Gonzales, who recently replaced Pampanga 2nd district Representative and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as senior deputy speaker. Congressmen are currently on a seven-week recess. They will not covene again until July 24, 2023, or the day of Marcos' second State of the Nation Address (SONA). Before the recess, PDP-Laban signed an alliance agreement with Romualdez's party, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD). The pact reiterated PDP-Laban's support for Romualdez's leadership in the House and for the Marcos administration.