Rep. Aurelio “Dong” D. Gonzales Jr. Photo from his Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and three other lawmakers have joined the political party Lakas-CMD, Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe said.
Dalipe in an ambush interview on Wednesday confirmed that aside from Gonzales, the following lawmakers took their oath of office as Lakas-CMD members:
- Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing
- Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin
- Siquijor Rep. Zaldy Villa
This brings the total strength of Lakas-CMD at the House to 77, Dalipe said.
“We just had a Lakas-CMD oath taking, the ruling party here in the House, Lakas-CMD, we have an additional three new House members who took their oath as Lakas-CMD,” he said.
“The total number of House members for Lakas-CMD is 77,” he added.
In a statement sent by his office, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez — president of Lakas-CMD — said that they are honored to have the said lawmakers be part of Lakas-CMD.
“We are very honored to welcome Senior Deputy Speaker Dong, Cong. Jon and Cong. Zaldy to our party. They are a great addition to the strength and diversity of Lakas-CMD, which is a coalition of hard-working public servants who share a common goal of serving the Filipino people with integrity and dedication under President Marcos’ administration,” Romualdez said.
“Our party remains steadfast in its dedication to nation-building and we thank those joining us for committing to contribute to shaping a better and progressive Philippines,” he added.
Gonzales, Lazatin, and Villa were former members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
It could be remembered that on Monday, at the discussions on House Resolution (HR) No. 1414 aiming to protect the dignity of the House and express support to Romualdez, Gonzales was asked to name the person behind the attacks against the legislative chamber.
In response, Gonzales said he would resign from PDP-Laban before naming former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was the chair of PDP-Laban.
READ: Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. verbally resigns from PDP-Laban
According to Romualdez’ office, the oath-taking ceremony was administered by the Speaker at a simple rite at the Batasan Complex, Quezon City.
“Lakas-CMD is poised to continue its legacy of service to the nation given our unity, diversity, and shared values as its cornerstones,” he added.
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The situation over Lakas-CMD leadership is still unclear after two party members — Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab — were removed from their deputy speakers roles on Tuesday.
Dalipe, who is also Lakas-CMD’s executive vice president, said that the two were removed from their post after they did not sign HR No. 1414.