Alvarez camp has accepted that numbers are not in their favor — Umali

Occidental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said the camp of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez has come to terms with losing control of the House, saying that they cannot do anything with a majority decision.

“In Congress, it’s really a numbers game. It’s the tyranny of numbers, as we always say,” Umali said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday.

“I guess it has probably dawned on him (Alvarez), and I think it is just a matter of accepting the reality,” Umali said. “I hope that cooler heads will intervene and work things out the way mature people will do it.”

Umali noted that there was no point in contesting the leadership of former President and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as the numbers have been in her favor during the voting held before and after the State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.

“Clearly may numbers kasi ‘yong kagabi dapat tapos na ‘yong (session), adjourned na eh. After the adjournment, the fact that the members stayed on, about almost 200 of them, tapos nakuha niya ‘yong boto ng 184, it means that she has the numbers,” he explained.

According to the lawmaker, prolonging the gridlock between Arroyo and Alvarez would be detrimental to the House, as lawmakers have a lot of work to do.

“Sa ngayon wala pang decision, I think titignan siguro ‘yong proseso, but I guess it is just a matter of time eh. I don’t know what would happen in the next several weeks, but I guess it is pointless to further this issue,” Umali noted.

“What’s the whole point in going through this and make the institution suffer more?” he asked.

He cited the Bangasamoro Organic Law (BOL) which was supposed to be ratified by the House before the Sona but failed to do so because of House leadership issues. The BOL was eventually passed during Tuesday afternoon’s session.   /vvp