Navotas City lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco has expressed openness to potentially running for House Speaker in the upcoming 20th Congress.
Tiangco did so during a television interview Saturday, May 17, wherein he also said that certain people had been approaching him for the position.
"Yes. I'm being asked," said the veteran solon, who served as campaign manager of the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate in the just-concluded mid-term elections.
"Sabi ko (I said) I'm not actively seeking for it. But I just want to help the President," said the president of Partido Navoteño, a political party in his city.
When asked later in the interview if he was open to the top post in the House of Representatives currently held by Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez, Tiangco gave the following answer.
"Isa lang sagot ko dyan (I only have one response to that). I will do whatever is best for the President. If its best for the President that Martin Romualdez remains Speaker, I will support what he thinks is best for him.
"If he think I can help him more, I will accept it. As long as my colleagues agree," he said.
However, Tiangco was quick to point out that a solon can only become Speaker if he or she has the backing of the majority of the House of Representatives. House members vote for the position of Speaker at the start of each Congress.
Tiangco clarified that he has yet to officially declare a bid for the Speakership.
Suffice it to say that the Alyansa campaign chief would need quite the upheaval in the lower chamber to replace Romualdez, whose Lakas-CMD is allied with other major national political parties like the Nacionalista Party (NP), National Unity Party (NUP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), and various party-lists under the Party-list Coalition Foundation, Inc. (PCFI).