Lagman to House colleagues: Don’t anoint minority leader as adjunct of majority coalition

Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman  (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JAM STA ROSA)

MANILA, Philippines — The incoming members of the House of Representatives should not perpetuate the practice of anointing a minority leader as an adjunct of the majority coalition, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said Sunday.

Lagman, who is currently a member of the independent bloc in the lower chamber, made the remark as the House begins to prepare to transition to the19th Congress.

“I am urging the incoming administration not to perpetuate the stratagem of the majority leadership of anointing a Minority Leader in the House of Representatives as an adjunct of the majority coalition,” Lagman said in a statement.

“Allow critical dissent to flourish and respect the independence of a vibrant, although only a handful, of minority Representatives,” he added.

Under the House rules, members who vote for the winning candidate for Speaker shall constitute the majority in the House while those who did not vote for the winning candidate shall comprise the minority.

“The Minority Leader shall be elected by the members of the minority and can be changed, at any time, by a majority vote of all the minority members,” the House rules state.

Several political parties and prominent members of the House have endorsed incumbent Majority Leader Martin Romualdez as the next Speaker.

gsg