Alvarez out, Arroyo in as House Speaker
(3rd UPDATE) Former president and now Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo replaces Pantaleon Alvarez as House Speaker, with reported backing from presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio
RAPPLER.COM
THE FALL OF ALVAREZ. Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo replaces Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – After persistent ouster rumors, Pantaleon Alvarez is House Speaker no more.
Lawmakers booted out Alvarez, who represents the 1st district of Davao del Norte, as the leader of the House of Representatives on Monday afternoon, July 23, the same day the 17th Congress opened its 3rd regular session.
Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is now Pampanga 2nd district representative, has been named the new Speaker.
Prior to Alvarez's ouster, various House blocs met on Monday morning.
An all-members caucus was also held in the morning, but only 76 out of 291 representatives attended. Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia confirmed they discussed reports that other House members were plotting to oust Alvarez.
By noon time, lawmakers allied with Alvarez succeeded in adjourning the session to preempt the ouster moves, in the process failing to ratify the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law in time for President Rodrigo Duterte's signing before his State of the Nation Address late afternoon.
However, House members returned to the session hall again by early afternoon, and passed around and signed a manifesto calling for Alvarez's removal as Speaker.
Pro-Alvarez lawmakers contesting?
Just before 3:30 pm, Deputy Speaker Rolando Andaya started speaking at the plenary, where guests of Duterte’s SONA were already gathered. Andaya was Arroyo's budget secretary when she was president.
He said 161 members of the majority bloc were present. Andaya then began explaining that the morning session should not have been considered adjourned at 12:30 pm, as he was objecting to the motion of Alvarez-allied and Assistant Majority Leader Juan Pablo Bondoc to adjourn.
His microphone was suddenly cut off, but he continued speaking.
A soundless video feed at the media room showed Arroyo-allied lawmakers gathered around Andaya. Davao City 1st District Representative Karlo Nograles then appeared to be calling the roll, with more and more lawmakers standing.
Several of Arroyo’s allies also started surrounding as she calmly sat on her chair. Soon, lawmakers clapped their hands. Arroyo was then escorted up the podium, where she took her oath.
The Pampanga 2nd district representative gave a brief speech, cupping her hands so she could be heard in the chamber.
Alvarez, however, was still the one who welcomed Duterte as the President arrived at the Batasang Pambansa just before 4 pm. Joining them was Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
It remains unclear if Alvarez will challenge the vote that transpired in the plenary and seek Duterte’s help to relinquish power in the House.
Alvarez’s allies are expected to contest the vote. The House of Representatives’ mace – the symbol of the chamber’s legislative authority – was not in the plenary when lawmakers named Arroyo as their new Speaker.
The mace was removed just before Bondoc moved to adjourn the session earlier in the afternoon.
The Alvarez bloc may therefore argue that Arroyo’s oath is invalid.
History with Arroyo
NEW SPEAKER. Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after taking her oath as Speaker of the House of Representatives Monday afternoon, July 23, 2018.
Arroyo walked free from nearly 4 years of hospital arrest just a month after President Rodrigo Duterte took his oath of office in 2016. She has since publicly expressed her support for the President, whose policies reflect those implemented by Arroyo during her term.
In March 2017, Alvarez removed Arroyo as deputy speaker, making good on his threat to remove all House leaders who would vote against the death penalty bill.
Arroyo was not in favor of the measure despite her being an ally of Duterte, who had lobbied for the reimposition of capital punishment. It was under the Arroyo presidency that the death penalty was abolished in 2006.
Alvarez's removal does not come as a surprise, with some lawmakers reportedly planning his ouster since March 2017.
'Make my day'
Talks of a possible change in the House leadership first surfaced after Alvarez filed a graft complaint against his longtime friend turned foe, Davao del Norte 2nd District Representative Antonio Floirendo Jr, on March 13, 2017. Floirendo was Duterte's biggest campaign donor.
Alvarez also filed a resolution calling for a probe into the allegedly anomalous deal between Floirendo's company and the Bureau of Corrections. Alvarez and Floirendo's bitter feud was allegedly caused by a spat between their respective girlfriends in October 2016, a claim Alvarez has denied.
Confident that any moves to unseat him would not gain ground, Alvarez told alleged ouster plotters in March 2017: "Go ahead, make my day."
More than a year later, they succeeded in kicking him out. (READ: Is Alvarez bent on scrapping 2019 polls over fear of losing?)
Alvarez is loyal to Duterte through and through, even sharing that he cried when the former Davao City mayor initially refused to run for president in 2016. – Rappler.com
