Speaker Lord Allan Velasco continues to gift his trusted allies with plum posts after they helped install him as leader of the House.

The total number of House deputy speakers jumped to 31 after 12 more Velasco allies were included in the coveted roster of ranking lawmakers during the plenary sessions on December 7, 14, and 16.  This is the highest number of elected deputy speakers in the history of the chamber. 

The Speaker himself administered the respective oaths of his new deputy speakers, except for the last two who were elected on Wednesday, December 16, the day the House adjourned session for the holidays.

1. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr, Negros Oriental 3rd District
2. Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc, Pampanga 4th District
3. Eric Martinez, Valenzuela City 2nd District
4. Bernadette Herrera Dy, Bagong Henerasyon
5. Kristine Singson Meehan, Ilocos Sur 2nd District
6. Divina Grace Yu, Zamboanga del Sur 1st District
7. Rogelio “Ruel” Pacquiao, Sarangani
8. Weslie Gatchalian, Valenzuela City 1st District
9. Bienvenido Abante Jr, Manila 6th District
10. Strike Revilla, Cavite 2nd District
11. Isidro “Sid” Ungab, Davao City 3rd District
12. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Cavite 8th District

Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar was earlier named deputy speaker to replace Batangas 2nd District Representative Raneo Abu. Villar, Abu’s party mate from the Nacionalista Party, wrote Velasco a letter declining the post, but the official House website still lists her among the deputy speakers. 

Of the 12 new deputy speakers, 9 come from the 3 major House blocs that were instrumental in the dramatic ouster that deposed Taguig City-Pateros 1st District Representative Alan Peter Cayetano and replaced him with Velasco in October.

These are the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), and the party-list coalition. 

Six of the new deputy speakers are PDP-Laban members just like Velasco: Teves, Bondoc, Martinez, Meehan, Yu, Tolentino, and Pacquiao, brother of Senator Manny Pacquiao who is now party president. Tolentino was still named deputy speaker despite being a known ally of Cayetano.

Teves was the first lawmaker to complain about the inequitable distribution of public works funds in the proposed P4.5-trillion budget in 2021, one of the catalysts that eventually led to Cayetano’s downfall.

Meehan and Bondoc, who retains his post as deputy majority leader, were among the PDP-Laban stalwarts who helped secure the numbers for Velasco. 

Another PDP-Laban member loyal to Velasco, Oriental Mindoro 1st District Representative Salvador “Doy” Leachon, was earlier named senior deputy speaker.

Herrera also played a key role in Velasco’s victory over Cayetano because she is part of the party-list bloc that has long supported the Marinduque congressman.

Gatchalian was among the NPC members who took the cudgels for the party to lobby votes for Velasco. 

Abante, meanwhile, used to be House minority leader under Cayetano. But the Manila congressman later gave up his post and decided to join the majority bloc when Velasco took over. 

Revilla recently joined Lakas-CMD, the party of former president and House speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that served as the swing vote that sealed the numbers for Velasco’s takeover.

Ungab, meanwhile, is a member of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the regional party formed by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. The feisty daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte is close friends with Velasco and had backed his takeover as Speaker.

Here is the complete list of 32 deputy speakers under the Velasco-led House:

1. Salvador “Doy” Leachon (senior deputy speaker), Oriental Mindoro 1st District
2. Ferdinand Hernandez, South Cotabato 2nd District
3. Evelina Escudero, Sorsogon 1st District
4. Loren Legarda, Antique
5. Camille Villar, Las Piñas City
6. Conrad Estrella III, Abono
7. Prospero Pichay Jr, Surigao del Sur 1st District
8. Roberto Puno, Antipolo City 1st District
9. Eduardo Villanueva, Cibac
10. Michael “Mikee” Romero, 1-Pacman
11. Neptali Gonzales II, Mandaluyong
12. Lito Atienza, Buhay
13. Rose Marie “Baby” Arenas, Pangasinan 3rd District
14. Rodante Marcoleta, Sagip
15. Henry Oaminal, Misamis Occidental 2nd District
16. Pablo John Garcia, Cebu 3rd District
17. Deogracias Victor Savellano, Ilocos Sur 1st District
18. Vilma Santos Recto, Batangas 6th District
19. Mujiv Hataman, Basilan
20. Rufus Rodriguez, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District
21. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr, Negros Oriental 3rd District
22. Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc, Pampanga 4th District
23. Eric Martinez, Valenzuela City 2nd District
24. Bernadette Herrera Dy, Bagong Henerasyon
25. Kristine Singson Meehan, Ilocos Sur 2nd District
26. Divina Grace Yu, Zamboanga del Sur 1st District
27. Rogelio “Ruel” Pacquiao, Sarangani
28. Weslie Gatchalian, Valenzuela City 1st District
29. Bienvenido Abante Jr, Manila 6th District
30. Strike Revilla, Cavite 2nd District
31. Isidro “Sid” Ungab, Davao City 3rd District
32. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Cavite 8th District

Perks of being a deputy speaker

The number of deputy speakers in the House has been steadily rising since President Rodrigo Duterte won the 2016 elections.

In the previous 17th Congress, 14 deputy speakers were named to help prepare the chamber should the country shift to a federal system of government.

This increased to 22 deputy speakers when the 18th Congress opened session after the 2019 elections with Cayetano at the helm.

The deputy speakership is a plum post in the chamber. Incumbent Speakers usually grant these positions to allies who want to be accommodated in the leadership with a senior position.

Deputy speakers enjoy certain perks like an additional annual budget for their offices. They preside over the plenary sessions and automatically become ex-officio members of all House committees, which means they have voting powers. 

Apart from trusted allies, a sitting Speaker traditionally picks veteran lawmakers to be his or her deputies to recognize their seniority in the House. 

Since taking over as Speaker, Velasco has been busy removing Cayetano’s allies in the House leadership.

This is nothing new, however. When former president turned Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo staged her coup against Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez in 2018, many of Alvarez’s allies in the House leadership were replaced by lawmakers close to Arroyo instead. 

Pimentel, Gonzales demoted

But two of Velasco’s PDP-Laban party mates were stripped of their deputy speaker posts and demoted into chairpersons of House committees instead.

Surigao del Sur 2nd District Representative Johnny Pimentel now chairs the special committee  on strategic intelligence while Pampanga 3rd District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr now heads the special committee on bases conversion.

Pimentel is replacing Cayetano ally and Capiz 2nd District Representative Fredenil Castro, while Gonzales’ post used to be held by Cavite 1st District Representative Francis Gerald Abaya. 

Pimentel and Gonzales had signed a manifesto that sought the continued speakership of Cayetano, who was supposed to share terms with Velasco under a deal brokered by Duterte. 

Pimentel and Gonzales would later throw their belated support for Velasco when it became clear the Marinduque congressman already had the numbers to unseat Cayetano.

Still, Pimentel and Gonzales were recently named by PDP-Laban as regional vice presidents for the Caraga Administration Region and Luzon, respectively. 

More reorganization in House committees

New committee chairpersons were also named under the Velasco-led House.

Navotas City Representative John Reynald Tiangco was named chair of the committee on trade and industry, a post formerly held by his party mate Gatchalian. 

La Union 2nd District Representative Sandra Eriguel, who used to be chair of the social services panel, now heads the inter-parliamentary relations and diplomacy committee that was once chaired by Deputy Speaker Yu.

Quezon City 5th District Representative Alfred Vargas took over as chairman of the social services committee after Eriguel.

Deputy Speaker Revilla’s old post as chair of the committee on housing and urban development was then given to Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Francisco “Kiko” Benitez.

Philreca Representative Presley de Jesus was elected new chair of the cooperatives development panel, replacing COOP-NATCCO Representative Sabiniano Canama. Canama was instead named chairperson of the special committee on the East ASEAN Growth Area, a post formerly held by Deputy Speaker Pacquiao.

Bulacan 4th District Representative Henry Villarica replaced Ako Bicol Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr as member of the House contingent to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.

Garbin was instead named as new chair of the committee on constitutional amendments, which was the position of Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez before the latter was named deputy speaker.

Sulu 2nd District Representative Munir Arbison was also named as a member of the House contingent to the Commission on Appointments. He replaced Laguna 4th District Representative Benjamin Agarao Jr. – Rappler.com