Rappler
Tuesday showdown? Cayetano-Velasco feud reaches climax
A fierce battle for the speakership is brewing in the House of Representatives between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.
Velasco's allies elected him speaker on Monday, October 12, in an unprecedented session held at a sports club because the House plenary hall was padlocked.
At least 186 of Velasco's supporters claim to have elected him speaker, comprising a majority of the 299 members of the House.
Cayetano, who insists he is still the Speaker despite Velasco's numbers, rejected Velasco's election as a sham.
Just less than two weeks earlier, 184 of 299 lawmakers had supported Cayetano.
This situation, with two speakers, thrusts President Duterte in a unique situation.
Duterte had brokered a term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco in 2019, but things went awry when Cayetano refused to honor it when his term as speaker was about to end.
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Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco was elected Speaker by 186 lawmakers in a separate session held outside the Batasang Pambansa complex.
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186 lawmakers elected Representative Lord Allan Velasco as Speaker of the House of Representatives in an informal session at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City on Monday, October 12.
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Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives by 186 lawmakers during a gathering at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City on Monday, which was later ratified at the Batasang Pambansa on Tuesday.
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Speaker Alan Cayetano declared the election of Representative Lord Allan Velasco as the new Speaker as a sham, alleging the proceedings were conducted illegally outside the Batasang Pambansa.
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Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte has chosen to remain neutral in the House speakership dispute between Representatives Lord Allan Velasco and Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, citing his friendship with both lawmakers.
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