A House held hostage

with no choice because the Palace

contmls the purse from which con-
grcssmeo get money for funding in-

ffi
frastructure projects for their disaicts
]l rn" potorc controls and constihrents.
Velasco, we are told by some con-
the purseJrom which gr€ssmen, is nol too pleased th.t
IT AIN'T over 'till it's over-so goes lawmokers get moneyfor Dut€rte disciple Cayebno gpt tbe frst
the old saying about hotly contested part of the House speakership tenn
I WEDNESDAY, JUtY L7, 2Or9
malches either in,sports or politics. fu n d i n g i nfra str u ct u re although his hold at the SpeakErship
p roj e c'tsfo r th e i r d i stricts term is slightly longer. Th€n, tberc is
'lt rypeals thal the term-sharing
tg€ement for the House speakership and constituertt. ll the possibility that Cayetano, once he
between Taguig Rep. Alan Pet€r Cay- has had a tasb of power, might not
ebno and Marinduque Rep. LordAlan want to let go ofthe speakership when
Velasco has been successfirlly bro- his shale ofthe term is up.
kercd by President Rodrigo Duterte. and ii.qrlicitous msnn€r to iise to Pow€r There are also the chaimrmshiPS of
But th€re arc still rumblings ftom some and stay on top. the'various k€y con0mitb€s Cayehno
congressmen lhat the term-sharing deal . What is going on in the House Po- would give his supporters. They too, for
be6*'een the two deprived the House of litical jockeying is somewhat similar sure, will not want to give up tbe chair-
the right to choose their own leaders. to the "House of Cards" except that mmships of thes€ corrmitEes. Th€ee
The situation in the Houseseems like here, unlike the fragile lhite Hous€ are the unsettling repercussions ofhav-
ffis similar .infrigues and machinalions plot, it is the House of Representa- hg a tern-sharing sp€ak€rship.
in the US TV series 'Tlousdof Cards" tives that is held hostage by the power The House, which to stxne may
wh€r€ actor Kevin Spac[ phyed brokers at the Palace with P.resident not seem as inpo(ht as the Seirae,
American President Frank Underwood. Duterte pulling tle strings. The poli- is nonetheless aa important pci of dre
He played his cards in the most cunning ticians in the lower chamber are left trrblt

I I I Meanwhile the United Nations reso' matic ties with Iceland, are we going to present were asking why- But the
'swer
a[-
tions with thenL too? This is isolatr
A HQUSe... ior
lution filed by Iceland in the UN Human also cut tiel with the countries frrat to that diplonitic Jnub was quite the Philippines a"-
ttti *r.*ity
hnx H**,"l,fr"'j"flj.-rffir?,#ttril *:TfftrflJ*Txffi'ffitr *!:T; one or Europe,s ,** ffif,T.{ff*H#Jff,rdn
mpeachm€nt process is initiated The with tbat comtry, This, for sponsoring Day ofFrance whelein the Department human rights, was one of the nations matic relations.

rcsidsnL Is it
any wonder why con- Duierte's bloody campaign against ille- the French ambassador's residence in on its national day. Russia and probably ban in what i{
I€ssmen arc vying tooth and nail for gal drug trafficking. Forbes Park. The absence of a single Th€re werc at least 14 counties that shaping up as an alignment of force3

,l
rr*s that go with the job? do now? Aside fiom breaking diplo- spicuous tha! many ofthe ambassadors Are we going to cut diplomatic rcla- the East.

\ PAG€ -A4 t)