New realignments at House seen

More party realignments may be in store at the House of Representatives as Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano continues to woo new allies to his side, dealing a blow to the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and potentially imperiling his term-sharing deal with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr., a key ally of Cayetano in the Nacionalista Party, said the defections by four PDP-Laban members to the National Unity Party (NUP), which also supports Cayetano, pointed to a “deepening vote of confidence” for the Taguig lawmaker.

Political shifts“And with the record-high popularity of President Duterte and [Cayetano], we can expect more positive political realignments taking place in the months ahead,” Villafuerte told the Inquirer in a text message.

The Camarines Sur representative said such political shifts “would redound to a more proactive and productive majority coalition in the House.”On Wednesday, NUP welcomed in its fold the new recruits from PDP-Laban, led by two influential House leaders—Deputy Speakers Neptali Gonzales II of Mandaluyong and Dan Fernandez of Laguna.

They were joined by Representatives Sandra Eriguel of La Union and Rolando Uy of Cagayan de Oro.

The realignments brought the number of NUP members and its party list affiliates to 61, including an honorary member in the President’s eldest son, Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte.

Reduced strength

On the other hand, coalition leader PDP-Laban’s strength was reduced to 66.

Villafuerte stopped short of saying the changes could mean the termination of the gentleman’s deal between Cayetano and Velasco, who previously agreed to an uneven split of the Speaker’s three-year term, with the former serving in the first 15 months and the latter taking over in the last 21.

Under that deal, Cayetano should be in office only until October.

NUP vice chair and Antipolo Rep. Roberto Puno, however, stressed that his party did not actively try to poach from the administration party’s ranks.

“The National Unity Party isn’t actively recruiting members into its fold,” he told the Inquirer.