President Rodrigo Duterte says it is up to House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco to honor their term-sharing deal, which he calls a “solemn agreement.”
“That was a solemn agreement among the three of us. If you want to use the vernacular, usapang lalaki ‘yon [it’s a deal between gentlemen],” Duterte told reporters Saturday.
“If anyone of them will not honor it, be it Lord Velasco or Peter Cayetano, that would be his decision.”
President Duterte declined to reply when asked what he would do if Cayetano did not step down in October 2020 to give way to Velasco.
“We should answer that question when we cross the bridge, he said after the baptism of his great-grandson and namesake, Rodrigo "Rigo" Duterte III.
Under the term-sharing agreement that Duterte had brokered, Cayetano is supposed to step down 15 months after assuming his post and to turn over the House leadership to Velasco.
Meanwhile, he said he was satisfied with the work of Congress under Cayetano’s leadership.
In a speech Thursday, Duterte called himself, Cayetano, and Senator Christopher Go the “brightest stars” at the moment in the country’s political scene.
“Like me…Senator Bong, Speaker [Cayetano], we are the brightest stars today. Look at the political sky and you will see us shining, Duterte said.
Cayetano was Duterte’s losing vice-presidential partner in 2016.
He won in the May elections as Taguig-Pateros representative and was elected House Speaker last July.
Cayetano and Velasco were the top contenders for the speakership of the 18th Congress, and they have sought the President’s blessing to put an end to the brawl that bugged the House for months.
Cayetano earlier said “nothing has changed” in the agreement, but he admitted he would like to retain his post until 2022, and that he would consult Duterte on whether or not to relinquish the post to Velasco.
Some lawmakers say the high trust and approval ratings of Cayetano may prompt House members to support his stay as Speaker.
