Velasco could be casualty in Go-BBM fight
HOUSE majority leader Martin Romualdez yesterday denied rumors of a brewing coup against him and Speaker Lord Allan Velasco resulting from political developments related to the 2022 presidential elections.
With eight months remaining in the 18th Congress, lawmakers loyal to administration presidential aspirant Sen. Bong Go reportedly want to restore the leadership of former speaker Alan Peter Cayetano by ousting Velasco and Romualdez to weaken the support of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) who is expected to tandem with presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The mayor last week joined the Lakas-CMD party of which Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos, is president.
“I don’t know where all these talks are coming from. Such idea has not even crossed my mind. These coup rumors have been going on since 2019 and to this day, there has been no evidence of one being hatched,” Romualdez said.
Cayetano is a known ally of Go who was instrumental in his election as speaker in the first half of the 18th Congress. Cayetano is now running for senator.
Velasco’s removal is reportedly aimed at controlling the billions of realignments that the House of Representatives made in the P5.024-trillion proposed national budget for 2022 in the run-up to the 2022 national elections.
A select group of congressmen, excluding Romualdez, were reportedly invited to a dinner-meeting in Malacañang last night.
Sources said Velasco’s ouster could have been plotted in the meeting to ensure that he will be replaced now that his close ally, Duterte-Carpio, has already opted out of the presidential race.
They, however, said Marcos supporters at the House may also move to oust Velasco and install Romualdez to gain control of the House and the 2022 budget, and solidify support for him.
Romualdez said he remains focused on the 2022 national elections to ensure that Duterte-Carpio will have a solid base for her vice presidential bid.
“I would like to appeal to everyone to stop all speculations on a change of leadership at the House of Representatives at this time. I have no intention to effect any leadership change, especially the speakership. I am man of honor, and I fully abide with the gentleman’s agreement forged in front of President Duterte in 2019,” he said.
The President, who is running for senator under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) party like Go, has made clear he is against Marcos’ presidential bid and even accused the son of the late dictator of being “pro-communist.”
The President has expressed resentment to Marcos’s role in allegedly convincing his daughter to just settle for a vice presidential run instead of running for president and succeeding him.
Duterte-Carpio’s move led to Go’s withdrawal of his vice presidential bid, avoiding a clash with the President’s daughter.
Romualdez said Lakas, being one of the major political parties that helped elect Duterte in 2016, is eyeing the President’s inclusion in the list of senatorial candidates to be adopted by the party.
He said the National Executive Committee of Lakas-CMD is formalizing the list of 12 senatorial candidates to be supported by the party in 2022 elections, and will make formal announcement on this the soonest time possible.
Malacañang said President Duterte is running for senator in 2022 to continue serving the Filipino people and to contribute to the progress of the country.
Cabinet Secretary and concurrent acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the President’s candidacy has nothing to do with investigations of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) in his administration’s war against illegal drugs. He added Duterte believes he still can contribute to public service.
Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy under the PDDS, an allied party of the fractured ruling party PDP-Laban.
The PDP Laban, in a resolution dated November 15, said its National Executive Council “unconditionally supports” the candidacies of Duterte and Go.
Nograles said Duterte and Go are running under PDDS to avoid any legal issues that may rise in case the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rules against them in favor of the faction of presidential aspirant Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao and Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel.
NO CONTROL
President Duterte on Monday night reiterated Go does not control him or anybody else.
The President, in his “Talk to the People address” said, Go has been attending meetings of the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases because he chairs the Senate committee on health and demography.
“He does not control anybody, he does not control me. He is here to do his duty,” Duterte said.
Retired general and presidential aspirant Antonio Parlade Jr. On Monday accused Go of “controlling” the President, which he said prompted him to run in the 2022 polls.
Nograles called Parlade’s pronouncements “baseless” and “without truth” and the Palace stands by the statements made by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday.
Lorenzana yesterday said he told Parlade “not to include me in his political agenda.”
“After hearing his interview, I called him and asked him why he is dragging my name in his political ambition,” said Lorenzana in Filipino. Lorenzana later read a press statement he earlier issued. The statement described Parlade’s allegations as baseless and that the President “has always been his own man.”
Parlade retired from the military service in July after commanding the AFP Southern Luzon Command. Parlade also served as spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
AFP spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala declined comment on the purported meddling of Go in the assignment of officials to key positions in the Armed Forces, stressing the military would not want to be involved in political issues.
Zagala stressed the Armed Forces is taking an apolitical stance in the coming national and local elections.
UNFAZED
Vice presidential aspirant Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he is unfazed with Duterte-Carpio’s vice presidential run, and there is no need to change his campaign strategy.
“We will still go on with what we are doing,” said Sotto in an interview with ANC.
He is confident that he will emerge victorious in the vice presidential race due to the joining of forces of three political parties — Reporma Party, National Unity Party, and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) — which he said have broad mass bases.
He said the NPC alone has a broad mass base since the party has 54 incumbent congressmen, eight governors, “hundreds” of mayors and vice mayors, councilors, and board members.
“So you can imagine the strength of the political party we have,” he added.
Sotto is running with Sen. Panfilo Lacson as president. Lacson is Partido Reporma chairman, while Sotto is chairman of the NPC.
Lacson and Sotto earlier said that they will not engage in “gutter politics” during the campaign and will remain focused on coming up with ideas on how to solve the country’s problems.
Sotto has been leading surveys on voter preference among vice presidential candidates. Duterte-Carpio is the second choice.
Sotto said all other candidates seeking the vice presidency are “worthy opponents.”
WITHDRAWAL
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will continue to accept withdrawals and substitution of aspirants, but not for those who voluntarily pulled out of the May 2022 race.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said any aspirant may personally file his withdrawal at any time as long as its done before Election Day.
He, however, said voluntary withdrawals will no longer be subject to substitution.
“You cannot be substituted if you voluntarily withdrew,” he said.
He said substitutions are now allowed only in cases of death or disqualification.
“After this date, you can only be substituted if withdrawal is involuntary, which means death or disqualification,” he said.
He said substitute bets must bear the same surname of the previous candidate.
“It is no longer necessary to be a partymate or a relative of the candidate, as long as they have the same surname,” said Jimenez.
Last Monday, the period for substitution due to withdrawal of COCs ended.
At the close of the filing period, there were 12 aspirants who withdrew their COCs and did not have substitutes. They were three presidential, four vice presidential, and five senatorial aspirants.
The Comelec also received withdrawals from 10 aspirants who were subsequently substituted. They were two presidential, two vice presidential, and six senatorial aspirants. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Raymond Africa and Gerard Naval
