MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte did not interfere in the showdown at the House of Representatives, the Palace said on Thursday, adding that the chief executive is hoping that changes are forthcoming in the chamber under its new leadership.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque challenged lawmakers accusing the president of involvement in the ouster of Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao Del Norte) from the speaker's office to publicly say that he had a hand in it.
Related Stories
"But I’d like to state that the choice of speaker was made by the members of the House alone, and I challenge any congressman to publicly say that the president called them to vote for a particular candidate because the president did not do that," Roque said in a press briefing in Zamboanga Sibugay.
"The president did not interfere. This was purely a decision of the members of the House of Representatives," he added.
Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga) was elected speaker on Monday by 184 representatives following a leadership showdown with Alvarez that delayed Duterte's State of the Nation Address for more than an hour and the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
The law, which was supposed to be signed during the president's speech, was ratified the following day by the already Arroyo-led House.
Duterte and the Palace have since acknowledged Arroyo as the House leader.
Duterte, speaking during the anniversary celebration of a municipality in Zamboanga Sibugay, said he hoped that there would be changes in the House under Arroyo.
He also recalled that Arroyo called him weeks ago to urge him to do something about the country's inflation, which already hit a fresh five-year high.
"We have always been ready to work with any leader chosen by the House of Representatives since the president recognizes that only Congress can choose its leaders," Roque said.
Roque also recognized and thanked Alvarez for his services to the nation.
"She's a capable leader. She's a close ally of the president," Duterte's spokesman said.
Before her stint in Congress, Arroyo served as president for nine years, a tenure marked by corruption allegations.