Bong Go-allied House member to vote Romualdez for Speaker?
At A Glance
- A House member who is within or close to the inner circle of Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has reportedly expressed her backing of Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez's continued Speakership in the 20th Congress.
Malasakit@Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Girlie Veloso (left), Senator Christopher "Bong" Go (Facebook)
A House member who is within or close to the inner circle of Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has reportedly expressed her backing of Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez's continued Speakership in the 20th Congress.
Administration solon Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin identified this House member as Malasakit@Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Girlie Veloso.
In a virtual press conference Thursday, July 24, Garin claimed that Veloso was among the 291 solons in the 19th Congress who have signed the manifesto of support for Romualdez, the 19th Congress House Speaker.
But in a statement a few hours later, Garin clarified that Veloso was as yet not a signatory, although she "has expressed intention to sign the manifesto".
Once the latter does, she will have been the 292nd House lawmaker to back Romualdez for the Speakership. With this number, Romualdez, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president, is practically the presumptive Speaker of the 20th Congress.
Go--the top voter-getter in the Senate race last May--is a staunch ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is a critic both Romualdez and his cousin, President Marcos.
But then again, the House of Representatives and Senate have different dynamics.
Just how close is Veloso to Go? Earlier this month, the lady solon attended a healthcare forum in Makati City on behalf of Go. The forum was organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP).
Malasakit@Bayanihan Party-list is part of the senator's political network.
The Speakership vote will be held on Monday, July 28, in the morning House session before President Marcos' State of the Nation Address (SONA).