Cayetano offers resignation as Speaker of the House of Representatives

MANILA, Philippines — Taguig-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, offered his resignation as Speaker of the lower chamber, one day after news broke out that Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco will take over the post starting October 14 in line with the two lawmakers’ term-sharing agreement.

This came after President Rodrigo Duterte intervened and met with both Cayetano and Velasco on Tuesday night to settle the feud as the speakership issue in the lower chamber heats up.

“I will not be a party to letting the President down so I am offering my resignation here and now to you my dear colleagues. My fate and the fate of the 2021 budget and the fate of the leadership of the House is in your hands,” Cayetano said.

“Please don’t vote on party lines. Don’t accept or deny because of positions or what the President may say or what I might think. Bumoto kayo sakin or hindi (Vote for me or not), you are my friends, my colleagues,” he added.

But Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor moved to deny Cayetano’s offer to resign.

The motion was seconded by Bulacan 1st Dist. Rep.  Jose Antonio Sy Alvarado, and was consequently approved.

Under the agreement, Cayetano would serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the first 15 months of the 18th Congress while Velasco would succeed to serve for the remaining 21 months under a term-sharing agreement. The deal entails Cayetano to relinquish the speakership to Velasco this October.

This is a developing story.