RESPECT THE CONSTITUTION AND BRANCHES OF GOV'T - GORDON

Senator Richard J. Gordon made clear that his statement about the term-sharing for the Speakership at the House of Representatives as a "classic compromise" was not intended to hit the congressmen but a call to protect the Constitution.

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Café Adriatico on July 10, Gordon said that congressmen should not involve President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in deciding who will be the next House Speaker and keep their independence as an institution.

"Bakit nila pinipilit makialam ang Pangulo? Kahit naman sino ang manalo diyan, susunod naman iyan kay Presidente. Classic compromise iyan. Maybe they just want inner peace within their institution that's why they let the President decide," Gordon said, adding that separation of powers should be respected so that there will be a system of checks and balances. He said that the three branches of the government, which are the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial, should not meddle with each other's roles.

"If I were a congressman, I would never ask the President to do that. But I would be very happy to see the term-sharing succeeds later," said Gordon.

The announcement about the term-sharing came during the oath-taking ceremony for newly-appointed officials in Malacañang on Monday, July 8. With this arrangement, Taguig-Pateros Representative Alan Peter Cayetano will serve 15 months of the 18th Congress, while Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco will serve the remaining 21 months. Meanwhile, Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez will be the House majority leader.