Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano verbally tendered his resignation in a Facebook live on Tuesday while the House of Representatives ratified Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco’s speakership.
Here is the full statement of Senate President Ralph Recto on the ouster of Alan Peter Cayetano, a former senator, as Speaker of the House of Representatives:
“This is just a pit stop in Alan’s long career. He will be back – I doubt if he’ll ever leave the political scene as a leading voice. It will be ages before we will come to read the requiem for this heavyweight. Not today.
His stint as House leader may be short, but it was spectacular. He passed all the bills the Palace requested, plus those which are products of the House’s policy ingenuity, which he harnessed in full.
While he had changed chambers, he was constantly in touch with his old colleagues in the Smaller but Smarter House. He is always welcome here, and the polls show that it will be a walk in the park for him.
When he accepted the demotion from Senator to DFA Secretary, he made it a point to be always accessible, wherever he was in the world. I have referred many OFWs in distress and he made it a point to personally attend to all of them.
I am writing this to thank him for his service to the nation as House leader. Old school it may sound, but in this age when the new is hailed and the old is forgotten, I believe that the courtesy of appreciating the good a person had done should continue as an honored tradition.”
Ito ang sabi ni Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano: “We’re okay, we will continue to help but right now, verbally, I am tendering my irrevocable resignation as the Speaker of the House of the Republic of the Philippines. At 3 o’clock, elect your new Speaker and pass the budget… You can elect at 3 o’clock. Walang maneuvers, walang political tactics na mangyayari diyan.”
“Ang pagkakaalam ko talaga, I was to handle the budget and I was told until matapos ‘yung budget para walang disruption and I invited Congressman Velasco to join me,”
“Mr. President, if I made a mistake, mali ang reading ko, misunderstood ko na gusto mong ituloy at tapusin ko ang budget, ako’y humihingi ng paumanhin. Hindi ko intention—never—na hindi ka sundin.”
“Dadalawa lang ang House ng Kongreso—Senado at Kongreso. Walang third house na tinatawag pong Celebrity Sports Club. Ang members noon ay members ng Sports Club, hindi members ng Kongreso,”
“All of that is under the bridge, let’s unite Congress. The institution is important, it is an institution of democracy. Tayo, we’re irrelevant, napapalitan tayo pero yung institution nandyan.”
“Congress is not only an institution, it’s a symbol. So pag binaboy natin ang Kongreso, binaboy din natin ang ating bansa.”
“Sinira ang mga pinto sa Kongreso, sinabihan ko ang Secretary General, ayokong may masaktan. Pabayaan mo sila kung gusto nila mag-takeover. Let them use the hall, walang masasaktan.”
Nasa 186 mambabatas ang bumotong umupo na bilang susunod na speaker si Velasco, na ginawang pormal ang kanyang pagkapanalo bilang House speaker sa mismong Batasang Pambansa.