Davao congressman may be next Speaker 

 

 

A former member of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's Cabinet who once advocated a separate Mindanao republic would be in the running to replace Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

 

"I think being the [secretary general] of [PDP-Laban] he'll be endorsed to be a candidate for the speakership," PDP-Laban spokesperson Paola Alvarez said referring to her father, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez.

 

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) -- the party that nominated Duterte for president in the 2016 elections --  has endorsed Alvarez to be the Speaker of the 17th Congress. 

 

A report by GMA News reporter Tina Panganiban-Perez said Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles had even introduced the elder Alvarez as the new Speaker. 

 

Alvarez served as Davao del Norte Rep. from 1998 to 2001 before his appointment as Transporation Secretary after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was swept to power in January 2001. He served as Assistant General Manager of the Manila International Airport Authority prior to becoming congressman. — APG, GMA News