Palace on Lagman's inclusion in majority: It's up to House

MANILA, Philippines - It would be up to the leadership of the House of Representatives under Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to accept House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman – who is reportedly at odds with ex-President Gloria Arroyo – into the majority coalition, Malacañang said yesterday. “It’s up to them (administration coalition) to decide whether to accept Congressman Lagman. If it’s true in the first place that he is moving to the majority, that might be speculative,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

Without categorically answering queries whether the inclusion of the opposition leader would be a welcome development for the administration of President Aquino, he said having more allies in the lower chamber would serve the government’s interest. 

“The reason why you would like to have a majority coalition is really primarily to advance the legislative agenda of the President. Short of any controversial issues, you would really like a number of congressmen supporting the legislative agenda of the President.” Reports of Lagman – a congressman from Albay – bolting the House opposition panel cropped up after he lamented that his deputy Rep. Danilo Suarez and his group plotted to oust him from his post. 

In a press statement, Lagman said “GMA (Arroyo’s initials) and her constant traveling companions in her past foreign trips are plotting to replace” him with Suarez, a congressman from Quezon province.

Before the opening of the 15th Congress in July 2010, Lagman and Suarez had a term-sharing agreement wherein the former committed to relinquish the post this January or halfway through the congressional term.

Arroyo’s House allies held an emergency meeting Wednesday evening with Suarez, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Occidental Mindoro Rep. Amelita Villarosa at her hospital suite at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center where she is detained. Lagman said while he considered himself to be an ally of Arroyo in the opposition, he is not “a GMA stooge and does not succumb to her bidding” and has “discarded press statements prepared by GMA propagandists.” 

He insisted the term-sharing agreement with Suarez was limited to the speakership if the then Lakas-Kampi would win the speakership in 2010, but did not extend to the minority leadership.

He also said his colleagues signed a resolution to retain him as minority leader for his “responsible and credible stewardship of the minority.” Lagman said he was credited for securing the release of the Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) or pork barrel of Suarez, Romualdez, Villarosa and Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap. Opposition lawmakers had been complaining that the Aquino administration has been withholding their PDAF in retaliation for their continued criticisms.