Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives after 186 solons elected him on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020.
He immediately took his oath in front of his allies from different parties who joined forces to oust the incumbent Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig City.
For his part, Cayetano rejected Velasco’s election to the speakership saying the process is “fake” and “illegal”.
In a gathering of solons at Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City, Buhay Party List representative Lito Atienza moved to declare the post of speaker vacant and called for the nominal voting for the new House Speaker, news reports say.
After getting elected and taking his oath, Velasco thanked President Duterte, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte for the support, according to news reports reaching The Bohol Tribune.
“This can only happen in the age of Duterte, when anything is possible for the benefit of the Filipino people,” Velasco said.
Moreover, Velasco reached out to Cayetano to settle their differences.