House officials announced a revamp Tuesday that saw an enemy of the previous speaker reinstated as a member of the powerful Commission on Appointments.
Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr., had been ousted from the CA by then-Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in May 2107, after a public squabble over their mistresses. Alvarez himself was ousted in July 2018 and replaced by former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Floirendo replaces Manila Rep. Rosenda Ocampo on the CA.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. named Sulu Rep. Munir Arbison, a member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s ruling PDP-Laban, as new deputy speaker, replacing Maguindanao Rep. Bai Sandra Sema, who has been moved to head the committee on Muslim affairs, which used to be under Lanao del Sur Rep. Mauyag Papandayan Jr.
“I am thankful to the leadership of the House… and my colleagues for the trust and confidence in me as manifest in my election as deputy speaker. We are thankful for this will ensure the continued representation of the Mindanaoan people in the House leadership and the advancement of the welfare especially those from ARMM,” said Arbison, one of the principal authors of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the first Tausug to be elected deputy speaker.
Arbison is on his second term as a congressman and a former vice chairman of the House committee on public works and highways.
Representatives Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of Quezon City and Ana Cristina Go of Isabela exchanged their respective posts.
Belmonte, a former speaker, is now the chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs; while Go is the new chairperson of the House special committee on the West Philippines Sea.
Marikina City Rep. Bayani Fernando replaced Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat as chairman of the House committee on public works and highways while Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez was replaced by Davao Oriental Rep. Corazon Nuñes Malanyaon.
Ang Kabuhayan Party-list Rep. Dennis Laogan was picked to replace Misamis Oriental Rep. Peter Unabia as chairman of the House committee on small business and entrepreneurship development.
House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, meanwhile, named 17 congressmen as new members of his bloc.
They include Reps. Shernee Abubakar Tan of Kusug Tausug Party-list, Juliet Marie D. Ferrer of Negros Occidental, Christopher S. Co of Ako Bicol Party-list, Evelyn P. Mellana of Agusan del Sur, Salvador B. Belaro Jr. of 1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list, Maria Valentina G. Plaza of Agusan del Sur Strike B. Revilla of Cavite Mohamad Khalid Q. Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte, Jonas C. Cortes, Peter John D. Calderon, Wilfredo S. Caminero, and Gerald Anthony V. Gullas Jr. of Cebu City, Gil P. Acosta of Palawan, Benjamin C. Agarao Jr. of Laguna, Edwin C. Ong of Northern Samar and Arnolfo A. Teves Jr. of Negros Oriental.
