Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 19) — President Rodrigo Duterte will announce his choice for the next House Speaker next week, said a lawmaker who attended a dinner at Malacañang for incoming congressmen.
“Sabi ni Presidente June 28 may sasabihin siya sa amin,” Masbate Representative-elect Wilton Kho said. “May pahiwatig siya na may ineendorso pero siyempre hindi niya rin sinasabi kung sino.”
[Translation: The President said that they will tell us on June 28 … He hinted that he will endorse someone, but of course, he has not identified who this is.]
Duterte had previously said he will not intervene in the speakership race and is leaving it to the House to pick its next leader.
But the President signaled otherwise during the Palace dinner on Tuesday organized by his son, Davao City Representative-elect Paolo Duterte, and attended by 125 incoming lawmakers, including two aspirants for Speaker – Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales.
The dinner coincided with the meeting of 30 lawmakers with Public Works Secretary Mark Villar and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez in Clark, Pampanga organized by Taguig-Pateros Representative-elect Alan Peter Cayetano, who is also gunning for Speaker.
Kho said he also received an invitation to go to Clark, but skipped it in favor of the Malacañang dinner.
Meanwhile, Navotas Representative-elect John Rey Tiangco said his presence at the Malacañang dinner tells who he would be backing in the speakership race.
“Ako, committed na ako kay Congressman Lord [I am already committed to Congressman Lord,]” Tiangco said.
1-PACMAN party-list Rep. Mikee Romero, who heads the 54-member party-list coalition, was also present at the Malacañang event.
The party-list coalition, the second-largest voting bloc in the House next to the administration party PDP-Laban, has said that it will support whoever Duterte endorses as Speaker.
CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
