Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco said the term-sharing agreement he has with Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano still stands.
“Sa akin, ang alam ko, tuloy pa rin (As far as I know, the deal still stands). An agreement is an agreement. A gentleman’s agreement is a gentleman’s agreement,” Velasco said.
“A gentleman’s agreement is a gentleman’s agreement.”
“Based on the gentleman’s agreement, I will see you next year as the next Speaker of the House,” the veteran legislator added.
President Rodrigo Duterte brokered the term-sharing agreement between Cayetano and Velasco in the run-up to the Speakership election on July 22.
Under the agreement, Cayetano serves as Speaker for 15 months, or up to October next year, after which Velasco takes over for the final 21 months.
Cayetano meanwhile has assured that the term-sharing deal is still in effect.
“As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed.”
“As far as I’m concerned, ‘yun yung usapan ‘di ba? At ang sinabi ko sa ating Pangulo, I’ll go to him for instructions, he’s the head of the coalition. As far as I’m concerned, walang nagbago (As far as I’m concerned, that was the agreement, right? At I’ve been telling the President that I’ll go to him for instructions [since] he’s the head of the coalition. As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed),” the seasoned lawmaker said in a television interview.
Asked if he prefers to have the Speakership for the entirety of the 18th Congress, Cayetano answered in the affirmative but stressed that it still depends on the decision of the President.