President Rodrigo Duterte has approved of ‘term sharing’ between Taguig Representative Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Alan Velasco, while Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez will be the next House Majority Leader.
Duterte made the endorsement after meeting in Malacañang three of the leading contenders in the speakership race.
Cayetano defeated four other solons vying for the post and seen to be influential in the results of the 2022 presidential polls.
Term sharing for the speakership was originally proposed between Cayetano and Velasco but it was opposed by the President’s party PDP-Laban.
PDP-Laban wanted Velasco to have a full term in order to ensure that legislative priorities won’t be hampered.
Cayetano was Duterte’s running mate during the 2016 presidential elections.
His term as a senator was cut short when Duterte appointed him as Foreign Affairs Secretary after his defeat in the 2016 polls.
