Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco. FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Lord Allan Velasco maintained that the offer he made to his predecessor, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano to be deputy speaker still stands.
Velasco, in an interview with reporters, added that Cayetano also has the option to become a chairman of any House committee.
“Yes, of course. He’s the former speaker and I truly believe that he deserves the position,” he said after presiding the plenary session, where House members passed on third and final reading the proposed 2021 national budget.
“He can choose either a committee chairmanship or a deputy speaker position,” Velasco added.
Velasco first bared on Monday of his plan to offer Cayetano a deputy speakership post.
That day, 186 House members elected Velasco as the new House of Representatives speaker at a session held at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City.
Velasco, meanwhile, reiterated that he is extending his hand to Cayetano.
“Like what I said last time during one of my speeches, I said I’m extending my healing hand to former Speaker Cayetano and I did,” he said.
Velasco added that there will be no reorganization among deputy speakers and committee chairmen until the session resumes next month.
“As of now, wala muna tayong gagalawin (we won’t change anything) because we want to have unity and harmony within the members,” he said.
“During the recess, we will still check the committee memberships because sometimes we see na mayroong parang mas maraming nakukuhang positions na medyo hindi naman fair sa iba (there are some who get more positions, which is unfair to others.), ” he added.
Within Velasco’s first week as speaker, however, some of his allies have replaced Cayetano’s allies in key House positions.
One of them is Camarines Sur 2nd Dist. Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr., a staunch Cayetano ally, who was ousted as deputy speaker.
He was replaced by 1-PACMAN party-list Rep. Mikee Romero, a known Velasco ally.