Castro, Ungab may land key House positions – Salceda

MANILA, Philippines – House Majority Leader and Capiz 2nd District Rep. Fredenil Castro may seek the minority leadership in the 18th Congress, while Davao City 3^rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab may get the chairmanship of the powerful appropriations committee, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda hinted on Wednesday.

Salceda said lawmakers supporting Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez for House speaker held a meeting on Tuesday after President Rodrigo Duterte’s endorsement of Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano as the next speaker of the House of Representatives.

Duterte said Cayetano would share the three-year term with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

READ: Duterte pushes for Cayetano-Velasco term-sharing for Speaker

“‘Yung (The) dissenting voice is being led by Fred Castro [during the meeting]. I would expect him to run actually for minority,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Salceda said he thinks Castro wants to “assemble” enough votes to be minority leader.

Salcada, meanwhile, said Ungab, who was earlier endorsed by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, may get the chairmanship of the appropriations committee.

“Si Ungab I think [may get it], although I was eyeing it also under the Romualdez leadership,” he said.

READ: Salceda wants to chair House appropriations committee

He also said that committee chairmanships are being arranged and will not be affected by the term sharing between Cayetano and Velasco.

“There is no term-sharing in the committee level,” he said. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)