Rody neqlral on Speaker bet

Solons told to sort it out amlng themselves

. By Nat Mariano
"Ma'an [Anoyo] should decide to
spare me from the agony of choosing [be-
I don't
.:r' t RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said
cause] want to hold grudges be-
cause ihey're all my friends," he added. .

'i;i 'ri' he will no longer endorse a candidate in House The Presidant alsojoked that she would

',, speakership race, urging congressmen to !'sort it
out among themselve s."
In a speech after the oath-
taking oflocdl ofrcials af-
filiated with Hugpong ng
Pagbabago in Malaca-
ftang, the President
said he asked outgoing
House Speaker Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to
choose her next sui:cessor. Aqoyo, how-
ever, declined to have the final say on the
matter
"I told hff [Arroyo], 'I will ask a fa-
vor &om yog. You should decide since
you're the most senior here.' [But] they
all laughed at me, I told them I-wasn't
fooling aror.rnd," Duterte said.
jail Mrs. Arroyo if she declined io choose
the next Speaker.
"F*ck *t, if she doesn't want to choose,
I will put her to jail again," Duterte said,
but Arroyo still declined.
Duterle said Lelte ReP. Martin Ro-
mualdez appr6ached him to express his
interest in the speakership. Romualdez,
along with Taguig congressman-elect
Alan Peter Cayetano and
Rep. Lord Allar Velasco. also want to
Speaker lvext

fOGETHER THREE. Photo for posterity is s'hared during the Hugpong ng

)agbabagoThanksgiving Night Monday at the Peninsula Manila in posh N4akati City, with
)resident Rodrigo Duterte (left), Speaker Gloria Arroyo (center) and Leyte Rep.-elect Martin
lomualdez. Contributed Photo
ffiP18'WEDNEsDAYJUNE26,2019'www.manila5tandard.net.m5t.dayde9k@gmail.com
?agc tr I
 Rod
Ftom A7

Duterte then wondered uhy the burdeo

lo name tbe next Speaker was put on his
back-
. "Why would you give your problems
tlrere to me? Choole any speaker...as
long
as lbe or she isl Filipino. I.m
hne wirh it,:
Duterte said
"Don't include me rhere. I never both-
ered you wirb lmyl stuff. I never bothered
I:Y.wifi [my] secretaries. Wb1 wouid you
do it to me?" he continued.

,--
hu :- ralk to each other... he added,
teavrng the decision ro the lawmakers to
settle the matter.
Earlierthat day. presidential Spokesman
^
Jarvad_or panelo said Dutene.s preference
ror a House Speaker should nor
be con_
sroered as interference
tothe ayairs ofrhe
il0use_
Panelo later said lawmakers should
nol
\1art lor the president to announce
his pref_
etence.
The_ President.s former aide,
. Senaror_
elecl Chrislopher Co. confirmed that
lju_
l:r1. !-1o! inclined ro choose amons lbe
ttuee PDP-Laban contenders for
Spejer
, rn an_lnterytew
tne fresidenr j
$ith reponers, Co said
ust does nol want to interlere
reader with
fr ffi",[c;::-ilnHouse