House members want Cayetano to keep Speakership over term-sharing deal

A majority of House of Representatives members want Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to continue in his post, wanting to junk the term-sharing agreement with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

The term-sharing agreement, brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte, stipulates that Cayetano would serve as Speaker for 15 months until October, after which Velasco would take over for 21 months.

Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte stated that the House performance has improved under Cayetano's leadership during the pandemic, noting that the chamber worked even during breaks, leading to its highest approval rating ever.

Villafuerte believes that if a vote were held, Cayetano would secure the support of the supermajority of congressmen.

Buhay Party-list Representative Lito Atienza urged Cayetano to honor the term-sharing agreement, stating that Cayetano did not initially have the majority numbers and that Velasco did not make numbers a condition of his agreement.

Atienza questioned why Cayetano's supporters are now questioning if Velasco has the numbers when his term is about to begin.