A NEOPHYTE militant lawmaker yesterday questioned the election of presidential son Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos III as senior deputy majority leader, saying he was obviously elected by the majority to the position because of his political pedigree.
“Huwag na po tayo magbulag-bulagan. I think ‘di naman maikakaila na nailagay siya sa posisyon dahil sa kanyang apelyido, na siya ‘yun anak ng nasa Malacañang ngayon (Let’s not play blind anymore. I think it’s undeniable that he [Rep. Marcos] was installed to the position because of his surname, because he’s a son of the one occupying Malacañang now),” Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel told News5.
The 28-year-old Marcos, who was not immediately available for comment, was nominated to the position by the majority bloc despite being a neophyte lawmaker, breaking the tradition of giving top positions in the House leadership to senior members.
As senior deputy majority leader, Marcos will be a member of the powerful House committee on rules, which is chaired by majority leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe.
Rep. Marcos is a former understudy of his uncle, Speaker Martin Romualdez, having worked as a staff in the majority leader’s office for much of the 18th Congress, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 27-year-old Manuel said the young Marcos’ stand on national issues concerning the youth, such as his father’s proposed revival of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and other important bills and resolutions will be a “litmus test” for the presidential son.
Another neophyte lawmaker, PBA party-list Rep. Margarita “Migs” Nograles, took up the cudgels for the presidential son, saying he is qualified for the position despite being a rookie congressman.
“I beg to differ on the claim of Rep. Manuel that Rep. Sandro Marcos only got his position because of his last name and because he is the son of the President. Rep. Marcos has worked with former Majority Leader, now Speaker Martin Romualdez, and is equipped with the knowledge of the House rules and certain rules of procedure, more than most if not all neophytes,” she said.
The lawmaker, a daughter of the late former speaker Prospero Nograles, reminded Manuel, who is a member of the minority bloc, that Rep. Marcos “was elected, overwhelmingly and unanimously, by the majority as their senior deputy majority leader.”
She said the majority has already “spoken and has full faith, trust, and confidence that Rep. Marcos will do well in his position because he is qualified for that position with both his educational and work background.”
“Surely, Rep. Manuel as the voice of the youth cannot claim that a neophyte like himself cannot do a good job in a position Rep. Marcos is indeed qualified for. As a lawyer, I can personally attest to Rep. Marcos’ deep grasp of the House rules and procedures (even more than I). I hope Rep. Manuel, as part of the minority bloc, will respect our choice in the majority as we respect their decision-making processes as well,” Nograles said.
‘EUNUCH’
On Monday night, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, an opposition lawmaker, questioned the election of 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan as minority leader, saying he was “anointed” as the “majority’s minority leader.”
“This is an open secret, a brutal fact. A eunuch of a minority leader who is a convenient adjunct of the majority coalition makes parliamentary democracy a shameful farce,” Lagman told the floor.
“Seeking refuge under the wings of the ruling majority at the expense of one’s convictions is abhorrent. Self-respect is precious. It is not a commodity for partisan haggling,” he added.
Merriam-Webster defines a “eunuch” as “a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace” or “a man or a boy deprived of the testes or external genitals.”
Lagman, who calls himself the “authentic opposition,” made the statement as he delivered his traditional “Kontra-SONA” a day after President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The veteran lawyer-lawmaker has long been urging Romualdez to allow the formation of a legitimate minority bloc and do away with the old practice of forming a “company union” led by a pseudo minority leader.
Lagman’s camp has said Libanan cannot be considered a member of the minority bloc because he was among the politicians who actively campaigned for President Marcos.
Libanan was elected minority leader by the 25 lawmakers who did not vote for Romualdez as Speaker. While they are the recognized minority, only the three members of the Makabayan bloc out of the 25 are openly critical of the administration.
Libanan took exception to Lagman’s tirades, saying it is “unparliamentary” to accuse him of being a presidential lackey, especially since the Constitution does not explicitly state that the minority bloc should represent the opposition.
“I do not see here in the Constitution, nor the rules mentioning about opposition. It is a matter of choice, whether you want to go to the majority (bloc) or you want to go to the minority (bloc), provided you perform each and every task which is required of you,” Libanan said.
“We will not allow any unparliamentary language stated in this august chamber,” he stressed.
Lagman however said the minority leader seems to have “a guilty conscience” if he felt “alluded to and is reacting to his “truthful language.”
He pointed out that unlike Libanan, a genuine minority leader does not take his oath before the Speaker, adding that Libanan even asked for the approval of the majority in electing the members of the minority bloc.
“The minority leader is not supposed to be beholden to the majority,” he said. “That should never be done. The deputies and assistant minority leader should never be approved by the House. That is the prerogative of the minority unless the minority is an adjunct of the majority.”
