Susunod sa usapang lalaki: Velasco ally dismissed rumors of Romualdez ouster

By Billy Begas

Deputy Speaker and Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves said Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco will not break the agreement and keep Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as the Majority Leader of the 18th Congress.

“Speaker Velasco will abide by that agreement,” said Teves referring to the agreement that Velasco will take over the speakership after Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano’s 15 month term while Romualdez will be the majority leader for the entire Congress.

Teves claimed that he heard from Velasco’s mouth that “he will abide by the 15-21 agreement”.

He also denied hearing the claim of Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor that there are talks to remove Romualdez, the president of Lakas-CMD. Velasco is a member of the PDP-Laban.

Meanwhile, Defensor insisted that the talks are true.

“I don’t think it’s a rumor, I think there’s really a move and people are talking about it, at marami sa kampo nila yung kumakalat at nagsasalita. As far as the official act itself, kung meron na talagang decision ang leadership, baka ‘yun ang hindi pa malinaw,” said Defensor in an interview today.

The House leadership earlier removed Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter ‘Sharky’ Palma and Quezon City Rep. Anthony Peter ‘Onyx’ Crisologo from the House Committee on Rules being headed by Romualdez.

Defensor said the leadership did not even bother to tell Romualdez, Palma and Crisologo before announcing it on the plenary session hall.

“Right after ng tinanggal sila, natawagan ko sila kagad, nagulat din sila. Ang pagkakabanggit nila sa kin, nandun kami sa floor, nagkwentuhan pa, nagbatian, bigla nalang binasa na tanggal na kami, so indicative yun ng klase ng liderato, kung ano klase yung kanilang professionalism, tsaka yung simpleng pakikiisa nila, how they treat the members of Congress,” said Defensor.

Palma was the majority floor leader when Defensor made a privilege speech on the P20 billion fund removed by the House leadership from the Pension and Gratuity Fund of retired military and uniformed personnel.

“If they will attribute it (Palma’s removal) to the time na nag-speech ako, and Palma was the majority floor leader, why do you blame the majority leader, when you have the Presiding Officer, eh si (Deputy Speaker)Bernadette) BH Herrera yung presiding officer at that time. So if they are saying that Sharky is at fault, then equally, the presiding officer should at fault,” added Defensor.

Crisologo was removed several days after he met Cayetano, Defensor and several other congressmen in an event in Quezon City.

“As to the reason why they taken out, hindi ko alam, di mo na rin masabi eh, sa liderato dito, baka siguro nakitang kinausap ako, tinanggal. Hindi ko maintindihan eh,” added Defensor.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)