Gloria Arroyo ousted as deputy speaker; 11 chairmen lose committees

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the deputy speaker for Central Luzon, and the committee chairpersons who voted against the death penalty bill have been removed from their posts.

In a surprise move on the last session day before Congress goes on recess, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas took the floor to move to declare as vacant Arroyo's post as deputy speaker and the chairmanships of the following:

• Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (People Participation)
• Gabriela Party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus (Poverty Alleviation)
• Sorsogon Rep. Evelina Escudero (Basic Education)
• Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto (Civil Service)
• ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio (Public Information)
• AMIN Party-list Rep. Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman (Muslim Affairs)
• Buhay Party-list Rep. Mariano Michael Velarde Jr. (Overseas Workers Affairs)
• Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate (Natural Resources)
• Batanes Rep. Dina Abad (government reorganization)
• Diwa Partylist Emmeline Aglipay-Villar (Women and Gender Equality)
• Quezon City Rep. Jose Christopher Belmonte (special committee on land use)

There were no objections and the motion was carried.

Fariñas then moved to replace Escudero as Basic Education committee chair, with Cebu Rep. Ramon Durano VI. The Sorsogon representative has been demoted to vice chairperson of the said committee.

Two of the committee chairs who were replaced—Abad and Aglipay-Villar—were absent during the proceedings, while the rest voted 'no' to House Bill 4727, which seeks to reimpose death penalty on seven drug-related offenses.

Three other committee chairs who missed the proceedings, however, still get to keep their posts:

• Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino (national defense and security)
• Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (dangerous drugs)
• AGRI Party-list Rep. Delphine Gan Lee (ethics and privileges).

Afterwards, the majority leader moved to adjourn the session.

These happened even after Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that the anti-death penalty House leaders will be replaced when session resumes in May. —NB, GMA News