Proposed term sharing of speakership post opposed

A proposal for a term-sharing agreement between the front-runners in the House leadership race may result in a lame-duck Speaker, according to Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Velasco, one of the candidates in the speakership contest, dismissed on Sunday the prospect of dividing the term of the Speaker in the last three years of the Duterte administration, saying most of his peers weren’t sold on the idea.

In a statement, he said he arrived at such a conclusion after a series of consultations with colleagues.

“Majority of our lawmakers rejected the idea because they strongly feel that it will only weaken the speakership, disrupt the flow of legislative work and more importantly, derail key measures that we are mandated to carry forward,” Velasco said.

“I share the sentiments of my colleagues in Congress and I am inclined to take their advice,” he added.

Velasco denied that the idea of a term-sharing deal came from him.

Incoming Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano said last week Velasco did not agree to the deal.

Cayetano claimed that President Duterte made his preference known when he met Cayetano, Velasco and another contender, incoming Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, in Japan last month. —DJ Yap