Although President Duterte would prefer that House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco honor their term-sharing agreement he himself brokered last year, the decision should ultimately be left to congressmen. “He wishes that the two leaders will honor their words. However, if Representative Velasco does not have the numbers, then the President cannot do anything about it,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENTIn a meeting with House and Senate leaders in Malacañang on Sept. 16, the President made an enigmatic comment, “Kawawa naman si Lord (Pitiful Lord),” which drew varying interpretations from the two camps. Under the terms of their “gentleman’s agreement,” Cayetano is supposed to serve as Speaker for the first 15 months and Velasco takes over for the remaining 21 months of the 18th Congress.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 28, 2020 21:22 UTC