Kicking JdV: Your Rep’s Vote

The House of Representative has been the center of media attention lately because of the ouster of its former Speaker, Pangasinan Congressman Jose de Venecia. De Venecia was kicked out of his Speakership post after a majority of the members of the House declared his post vacant.

We don’t care either way who is Speaker as we’ve given up on Congress a long time ago. After all, this recent brouhaha is a fight among thieves as former Senate President Jovito Salonga said in a TV interview. We are curious however about how our Cordillera representatives voted. Here’s the breakdown:

Those who voted “Yes” to declare the post of Speaker vacant (in effect kicking out de Venecia):
1. Kalinga Rep. Manuel Agyao
2. Apayao Rep. Elias Bulut Jr.
3. Abra Rep. Cecilia Seares-Luna

Those who voted “No”
1. Ifugao Rep. Solomon Chungalao
2. Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa
3. Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan

It’s interesting to note that the neophyte representatives (Rep. Agyao and Rep Luna) and the youngest one (Rep. Bulut) voted to kick out de Venecia while the more seasoned Reps voted to keep him.

We don’t know how Mt. Province Rep. Victor Dominguez voted. He’s not listed in either the “Yes” or the “No” column and we can’t find his name in those who abstained. Maybe he was sick and can’t attend the session? Or maybe he was too chicken to stand for something? Who knows.

Anyways, we don’t know yet if the change in the Speaker’s post will lead to changes in the chairmanships of congressional committees. It is very likely that it will. To the victor belongs the spoils, ika nga. If that happens, the Cordillera representatives who chair committees might be stripped of their posts. As we reported earlier, four Cordi Congressmen are heading four important committees: Rep Bulut (Agrarian Reform), Rep. Dominguez (Games and Amusement), Rep. Dangwa (Indigenous Cultural Communities), and Rep. Domogan (the congressional component of the House Electoral Tribunal).

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

INFO SOURCE: congress.gov.ph.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*