IUAN[.

A, PH|UPP|NES I THURSDAY r 7 OCTOBER 2019

ly lcitt
term-share deal
Cal4rag all a€xeed dito," he
Velasco said.1:at:".it-,
',,.
Cayetano exgessed his belief that the t€rm'sharing
Nobody, it seems, wanted to touch the t€m-shaxing deal agreement still stands. .
at the House ofReporesentatives thai has become uncertain In the recent Pulse Asia suwey, Cayetano received 62
yesterday after Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said it would percent trust rating and 64 percent approval rating. this is
be up to President Duterte to decide if it will be enforced. higher than Vice President Maxia Leonor "Leni' Robredo'sl
Malacaflang, however, distanced from the possible tmst and approval ratingswhich is 46 percent ard 50 percent
dumping of the auangement as presidential spokesman respectively.
Salvador Panelo said the Palace is taking a handsdf policy
Cayetano was the frst Speaker that was rated higher
on the issue and would leave to llouse members to decide ihan the Vice President.
on the matter.
Under the term-sharing deal brokered by President 3efl1fsns of Rody
Roddgo Duterte on 22 July Cayetano would hold the highest Tane)o, however, said the President does not plan to
position at the House for 15 months or until Octoler 2020, intewene, 1

while Ma,rinduque Rep. Lord Allan Yelasco would teke over
and serve until the Eih Congess ends in 2022.
Cayetaro was Duteft€'s formefforeign dJfdirs secrefaxy
and running mate in the 2016 elections.
Velasco, mearwhile, was the top pick oftlrc President's
political paxt$ the Paxtido Demokra.tiko Pilipino, to lead
the House.
Lately, horvwer, some members of the llouse
indicated that as a result of a recent suvey
showing a high rating on 0aptano, they
axe inclined to push for aborting the deal.
Declsion up to nody
. Cayetano said larvmakers will abide bythe decision
of the President regarding the agreement.
"We don't intervene in the affails of Con$ess,t he said.
0n 12 October, Dasma.rifras City Rep. Elpidio Banaga,
d said there would be a '$oundswell among Ilousel
members" for Cayetano to stay as Speaker
until 30 June 2022, $ven the larier's high
trust and approva.l scores in the latesti
Pulse Asia repori.
The suwey c0nducted by pollster Pulse
Asia from September 16 to 22, showed ihritt
Cayetano reoeived a 62 percent trust rating and'
64 percenl, approval mting.
Banaga said his fellow congressnen mighJ consider
r
rctaining Cayd€no as Speaker until 202, ifthe Ibuse
leader is able to 'sustairtr
that performance."
I

'Ihe leade$hip 0f Congress is always brcught aboui

by the decision ofa coalition,'. he mid.
'\[hile Congress is independent, the one who
decides for the coalition is the hesid€nt,' he
A FaV€ -c9q
"I promise the President, I'll
do a good job and one month
or two months before what was.
agreed on, ['ll go for him for
"s*"
instructions, so whatever , l;*t
are his instruction, we ,,r$${
will fouow,. MaJority W
Leader Martin..f
Romualdez and ,.
Congressman ,i'