Fariñas: I refused to betray Alvarez

Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas. INQUIRER FILE / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Former House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas revealed Tuesday night that, as early as March, allies of newly-installed Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were trying to convince him to betray ousted Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

“Nung March pa nilalapitan na ko… palitan lang si Speaker (Alvarez) and everything will be as is. Ako pa rin majority leader,” the Ilocos Norte 1st district representative said in an interview.

“I said no. I’m sorry. Loyal ako na person. I am majority leader of Speaker Alvarez. I will be majority leader to him only and hindi ako papayag sa ganyan. And I told the Speaker about it,” he added.

Fariñas, a staunch Alvarez ally, did not name the Arroyo ally, but on July 23 – before the dramatic Arroyo takeover – he said Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Prospero Pichay, Jr. went to his office and offered the same.

“In the morning of July 23, Congressman Pichay came. He said: ‘I promised you before, ‘pag seryoso na I’ll tell you. Ito seryoso na, tanggapin mo na. Si Speaker lang ang papalitan.’ I said no,” Fariñas said.

Asked if he felt betrayed by the 184 lawmakers who voted for Arroyo as Speaker, the lawmaker said ‘No,’ adding that it was how politics worked.

READ: While Alvarez was making enemies, Arroyo was consolidating her forces

“I’ve been in politics for a very long time… Politics is the art of the possible. And if it’s possible, it means you meet the kindest and cruelest of persons,” he said.

“No grudges,” he added, saying that he had been fair to all of his colleagues when he was majority leader.

Minority leadership squabble

Now that there are two groups clashing to be recognized as the minority in the House of Representatives, Fariñas said he was hoping that the chamber’s leadership would fairly decide the issue.

“It’s the call of the leadership. But we appeal that she (Arroyo) do it right,” he said.

Quezon 3rd Distrit Rep. Danilo Suarez and Liberal Party member, Marikina 2nd District Rep. Romero Quimbo are claiming to be the rightful leader of the Minority bloc.

READ: House squabble shifts to minority leader position

During Monday’s session, Fariñas said they already joined the group of Suarez, pointing out that it was the faction recognized by the Supreme Court as the House Minority.

But, Fariñas said, when Suarez and other Minority leaders voted for Arroyo, they had joined the Majority and left ABS Rep. Eugene De Vera as the acting minority leader.

De Vera had abstained from voting for Arroyo and had become the most senior minority member, the Ilocos Norte congressman explained.

READ: Fariñas: De Vera should be acting minority leader 

Fariñas said De Vera already accepted them, including Alvarez, in their group.

He said Suarez could not remain as Minority leader because he voted for Arroyo.

Under Rule II Section 8 of the House rules, “Members who vote for the winning candidate for Speaker shall constitute the Majority in the House.”

Meanwhile, Fariñas said Quimbo’s group should join the group of De Vera if they wanted to be part of the minority – a position that Quimbo’s camp said was baseless. /cbb

READ: Magnificent 7: De Vera can’t assume minority leader post