The Party-list Coalition is expected to name next week its bet for the House speakership race, its president said on Tuesday.
1-Pacman Rep. Michael Romero, Party-list Coalition president, also denied a statement that the coalition is narrowing down its choices to Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco of the administration PDP-Laban and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez of Lakas-CMD.
“There is no official PCFI [Partylist Coalition Foundation Inc.] position as we have to meet all our congressmen-members by next week. But we give utmost importance and respect to the sentiments of each and PL [party-list] members. In the end, the PL Coalition, after the process, will still vote as one big bloc,” Romero told reporters.
The Party-list Coalition—with its 61 members—will do a bloc voting during the speakership election next month.
On Tuesday, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Rep. Jericho Nograles, in a news statement, said the party-list bloc is down to two choices in the fight for the speakership.
Nograles added that the party-list congressmen have decided to narrow down their choices to Velasco and Romualdez because they believe that they are the only ones who are truly serious in their respective bids for the speakership.
Earlier, Alliance of Concerned Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio challenged members of the House of Representatives in the 18th Congress to look seriously into the bribery issues hounding the speakership race in the chamber.
Tinio issued the comment as PDP Laban members are expected to meet on Wednesday night to pick their bet for the House top position.
Allegation of vote buying was first confirmed by former Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez. Alvarez, who is still eyeing the House’s highest position, claimed that other candidates for the race are handing P1 million to each congressman to get his or her vote.
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, who was reportedly tagged as the one who is allegedly offering the bribe money, denied bribing his colleagues. Velasco’s speakership bid is backed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and an unnamed business magnate.
Earlier, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said businessmen who have interests to protect could be behind the vote-buying scheme in the chamber.
Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales has also claimed that from P1 million, the alleged bribe money has ballooned to P7 million.
At least 153 votes are needed to secure the speaker position. Candidates for the speakership race are Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao Del Norte, Rep. Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque, Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig City and Rep. Aurelio Gonzales of Pampanga.