President Rodrigo Duterte will break his silence on his choice for House Speaker from among the three PDP-Laban aspirants on Saturday before Senator Manny Pacquiao leaves for the United States.
The President told Pacquiao during last Wednesday night’s meeting in General Santos City that he will call the senator Saturday.
He directed Pacquiao to wait for his call, during which he would identify his pick for Speaker.
PDP-Laban members who are eyeing the House speakership are former Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, Marinduque Rep. Lord Alan Velasco, and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Umali Gonzales.
Alvarez was ousted as the House leader on the day the President delivered his third State of the Nation Address last year. He was replaced by Pampanga congresswoman and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The other bets outside PDP-Laban are Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and returning Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.
Velasco, who was the emcee in the HNP campaign sorties in the last midterm elections in May and Romualdez, also Lakas-Christians Muslims Democrats president, were both endorsed by the Davao Mayor Sara Duterte.
The two were also the top choices of party-list members who comprised 20 percent of the House membership.
Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles divulged that the party-list groups are rooting for Velasco and Romualdez given their strong connections with them.
Romualdez has assured the 55-strong Party-List Coalition in the House that if elected Speaker, he will work for proper, fair and equitable distribution of committee chairmanships and budget allocations.
Romualdez, who sits as president of Lakas-CMD, is also counting on the Visayan bloc in the House.
The President is PDP-Laban national chairman while Senator Aquilino Pimentel III sits as president of the political party founded by his father, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
