MANILA, Philippines — Former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Monday denied joining the minority bloc of the House of Representatives, saying he is an independent member of the lower chamber.
Alvarez issued the denial following a report, which cited a source, claiming that Alvarez “showed his true colors” by joining the three independent minority blocs.
Alvarez, however, said this was not true, saying: “First of all, I am not part of the minority and, consequently, cannot be part of any minority bloc.”
This file photo shows former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
Citing the Rules of the House, Alvarez said he cannot be a part of the minority bloc as he abstained from voting in the election of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
Alvarez was referring to Section 8 of the House’s rules, stating that “[m]embers who vote for the winning candidate for Speaker shall constitute the Majority in the House and they shall elect from among themselves the Majority Leader.”
“Right from the very beginning of the 18th Congress, I have been vocal about my concern regarding a term-sharing agreement and its effect of dividing the House of Representatives and causing unnecessary obstacles in the immediate passage of important legislative items,” Alvarez said.
“The events that unfolded last week, as well as the months that led to that standoff, have shown that my concern was much warranted,” he added.
Since he decided to be “non-aligned,” Alvarez said the rules state he should be categorized as “independent.”
“Thus, contrary to the assertion of the article, I did not join the ‘three independent minority blocs’ identified in the article as the Liberal Party, Makabayan bloc, and the Nacionalista Party,” Alvarez said.
“I am not part of any of those minority blocs,” he added.