Oct. 13 will be remembered in 2020’s history as the birthday of a Libra legend. No, we’re not talking about BTS’ Jimin (although we absolutely adore him). The Libra who grabbed our attention today is the yet to be identified queen who tweeted a pre-birthday notice on the House of Representatives Twitter account.
Before Mercury retrograde even started (yes, that’s also today), someone posted a selfie of a young girl with the text “Only 6 hours until my birthday!” and paired it with the simple caption, “Almost my bday!!” It’s a work of art that had a number of netizens cheering her on.
— House of Representatives of the Philippines (@HouseofRepsPH) October 13, 2020
Hours after the now-deleted tweet was published, the House of Representatives wrote in a statement that it was unauthorized and that they were investigating the incident. In a follow-up post, the office announced that they have “taken action” and put into place “appropriate measures” to ensure the security of the account. In the comments section, netizens joked that they should have just greeted the original poster a happy birthday.
Like a cheeky omen, the post seemed to herald Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano Allan Peter Cayetano’s “irrevocable resignation” as House Speaker which he announced while Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco’s speakership election was already being ratified. Today, lawmakers ousted Cayetano on the basis of the “gentleman’s agreement” on sharing the House leadership that was arranged by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.
Under the agreement, Cayetano was supposed to lead for the first 15 months of the 18th Congress while Velasco was supposed to serve for its last 21 months. At least 167 lawmakers signed a manifesto seeking to have the Speaker post declared vacant on Oct. 12. In his public announcement, Cayetano alleged that there were “acts of violence” when Velasco’s camp tried to enter the plenary session earlier than expected. “Sinira ang mga pinto sa Kongreso, sinabihan ko ang Secretary General, ayokong may masaktan. Pabayaan mo sila kung gusto nila mag-takeover,” he claimed.
Explaining his side of the fight for the speakership, Cayetano said, “Ang pagkakaalam ko talaga, I was to handle the budget and I was told until matapos ‘yung budget para walang disruption and I invited Congressman Velasco to join me.”
During a meeting with Pres. Duterte, the two were able to settle their differences. “Kami po ay nagkasundo at nagkabati na po and I am extending that healing hand for all those na hindi tayo masyado nagkaintindihan” Velasco said.
It sure looks like Mercury retrograde hit the House of Representatives hard. Is this a prelude to a tumultuous term for Velasco?
Art by Tricia Guevara
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