The hotel staff of Seda Vertis North, Quezon City was most certainly busy this week, having hosted two important meetings in the aftermath of last week’s memorable State on the Nation Address.

On Monday, it was the venue for the thanksgiving lunch for the House members who voted to elect Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Well in attendance were the ladies instrumental to said election — Mayor Sara Duterte and Gov. Imee Marcos. Coincidentally, the three ladies were all clad in red, highlighting their rise in the Philippine political power rankings.

To make another reference to the Game of Thrones, the assembly of this triumvirate reminds me of the feared three dragons of Danaerys Targaryan — Drogon, Rhaegal and Viseryon — and the ruler who controls said dragons is the one expected to conquer the fictional world of Westeros. Question is, who in Philippine politics controls these lady dragons?

Then on Thursday, the (still) ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) held its party caucus also at Seda Vertis North. Former Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez, in his first public appearance before fellow lawmakers, said he harbored no hard feelings on his partymates who voted to elect Speaker Arroyo and that politics and friendship must be separated at all times. Sen. Koko Pimentel reassured the strength of the PDP and stating that it is in its “golden age” with 93,000 registered members.

It seems that Ayala Corporation was correct in putting up a hotel in Quezon City as it is proving to be a viable location for such political events. Although I wonder who are the lawmakers who attended both meetings?

In any case, the change in the leadership of the House of Representatives may have raised questions on whether the House is ready to get back to work but there are signs that the House never lost its way.

The House Appropriations Committee, led by Chairman Rep. Karlo Nograles, commenced its budget hearings on Monday, starting with those in charge of improving the economy of the Philippines. Their visit to Batasan made possible the holding of a luncheon with Speaker Arroyo, a former economics professor in Ateneo de Manila University, with the Philippines’ economic team, which included Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla, as well as House members Rep. Joey Salceda and Rep. Arthur Yap. Reports said Speaker Arroyo is concerned about the rising inflation rate.

In a continued showing of her interest in the Philippine economy, Speaker Arroyo attended the House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on TRAIN 2. Said package pertains to the reduction of corporate income tax and a review of the incentives granted by several bodies. Notably, the early comments of Senators Frank Drilon and Sonny Angara expressing difficulty in its passing have been quashed by Senate President Tito Sotto’s willingness to sponsor a Senate version of TRAIN 2.

With regard to Federalism, other senators made some comments that may not help in its proper discussion. Malacañang tapped Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson to help in the information drive on Federalism. This prompted Sen. Nancy Binay to challenge Uson to show the Senate her federalism lectures. Sen. Ping Lacson mentioned that Charter change is now “dead” with Speaker Arroyo at the helm, even stating that she is aspiring to become Prime Minister.

But these were controverted by Speaker Arroyo’s successive media comments. To lay to rest the issue on voting jointly or separately, Speaker Arroyo sided with the Senate that voting must be done separately, contrary to the statements of her predecessor. Speaker Arroyo said, “I agree to separate voting. We want to move forward. We have to be realistic.

It is better to move forward and achieve something than to be stubborn and achieve nothing.” This will surely regain Senate’s confidence in the matter.

As to allegations that she is for becoming Prime Minister, Speaker Arroyo doused this by stating said talk is mere “black propaganda.” It is evident that the House Speaker knows that the key to the passage of a new constitution is the trust of the Senate and she is working on it.

However, another hurdle is set to be tackled in the House and that is the expected change in the chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments since Rep. Roger Mercado, one of the supporters of former Speaker Alvarez, and former Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas now belong to the minority.

With the shortened legislative calendar, in view of the filing of certificates of candidacy in October 2018 and the early adjournment in February 2019, the new majority leader, Rep. Rolando Andaya, made a bold announcement that plenary sessions will now be held an hour earlier, at 3 p.m., to allow more bills to be taken up. This heightened prioritization on legislation would, hopefully, snowball and put politics aside. House members, after all, are elected to legislate. No one said it would be easy, yet the House will find its way.