Lakas to remain in minority bloc

MANILA, Philippines – Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) will challenge the Liberal Party for the leadership of the House of Representatives in the 16th Congress, incumbent House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said Wednesday, May 22. 

Leyte Rep Martin Romualdez, president of Lakas-CMD and House Deputy Minority Leader in the 15th Congress, will take a crack at the speakership of the House against incumbent House Speaker Feliciano of the Liberal Party. The 16th Congress will start in the last week of July. 

But Suarez, a Lakas stalwart, said the former ruling party is aware that it does not have the numbers to wage a strong fight against Belmonte. 

“We also have to be pragmatic that we don’t have the luxury of numbers right now so the objective is to be the Minority Leader,” Suarez said. 

By tradition, the losing candidate for House Speaker gets the leadership of the House minority bloc. 

In the recent elections, Lakas won at least 13 House seats while the Liberal Party got at least 109 House seats. To win the speakership, Romualdez needs at least 147 votes out of the 234 district representatives and 58 party list representatives when the 16th Congress convenes in the last week of July. 

‘Lakas will remain opposition’

Suarez ruled out any plans from Lakas to form a coalition with the administration. 

“Definitely Lakas will not join the majority. We will always stay as opposition,” he said. 

Lakas has started scouting for possible members of the minority. Suarez said the incoming minority bloc already has about 20 members, including the seats won by Lakas and members of party lists who have “signified intention” to join the minority. 

“We’re only waiting for the official proclamation. Once we get that, then we’ll start calling them especially the party-list representatives. We will try to ask them if they are interested to help Martin vie for the leadership of the House,” Suarez said.

He said Lakas will reach out to other camps next week, when all proclamations have been finalized. One of the parties they will talk to is the United Nationalist Alliance. 

Asked whether there might be conflict between Navotas Rep and UNA campaign manager Toby Tiangco and Romualdez for the minority leadership, Suarez said, “I don’t think Toby and Martin will collide. Martin is senior. He is already graduating.” 

Lakas-CMD won 140 seats in the 2010 elections but were left with 23 members by the end of the 15th Congress. 

The party has announced plans to field Lakas-CMD chairman Sen Ramon “Bong” Revilla” as president in 2016. – Rappler.com