The possibility of three Speakers serving in the 18th Congress loomed yesterday as the current leader of the House of Representatives, Alan Peter Cayetano, fended off talks about another coup d’etat.

There is no need for another forcible takeover as Cayetano said he is willing to step down any time.

“Whoever wants to be Speaker could be Speaker,” he said.

The possible scenario would have Majority Leader Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco successively taking the helm at the chamber after Cayetano.

“They do not need to have a coup d’ètat. They can come to me and say, ‘Sir, we want (Majority Leader) Martin Romualdez to be Speaker,’” Cayetano noted.

“Okay, Martin, take over. After 15 months, (Lord Allan) Velasco would say it’s my turn, so he can takeover, and that does not have to be associated with the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, isn’t it?” he said.

Romualdez and Velasco were among the contenders for Speaker in the elections held last July.

Velasco and Cayetano, however, struck a power-sharing deal with the blessing of President Rodrigo Duterte under the so-called 15-21 agreement in which Cayetano would take the Speakership post for the first 15 months while Velasco takes the remaining 21 months.

Cayetano raised the possible sequence of events in an interview on Thursday amid the many issues being thrown at him over the alleged disastrous staging of the 30th SEA Games, which he, in turn, alleged were charges meant to discredit him and the administration.

Cayetano believes the negative reports have a political spin and are directed at him.

“What is the issue? It is too early for the 2022 elections and I will not run,” he said. “They mistake hitting me and the SEA Games with politics and that hurts the country.”

Asked if what he claimed to be attacks against him are related to the Speakership race, Cayetano said he does not want to make a guess.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to speculate anymore,” he added. “If someone wants to take advantage or someone wants to make intrigues that is okay… but it is not hurting me. It is hurting SEA Games and the country.”

Asked about the cryptic post of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Instagram, Cayetano said, “I do not have Instagram.”

In the post, the presidential daughter said, “‘I told you so’ is a surefire way to kick-start an argument. In the same way, ‘you do not listen’ will ignite a conversation into a heated one.”

“May I just say to everyone in the Congress, I told you but you did not listen. So, there you go,” Mayor Duterte went.

Earlier, Velasco, when asked about SEA Games-related issues, told media, “Let us hold our comments. I’m sure after the SEA Games, there are a lot of people who would be filing for investigations on what really happened with the SEA Games. Let us wait for that, we will just make people who are accountable, accountable.”

Velasco also said he does not know what the message of the presidential daughter means.

Mayor Duterte, who initially wanted Velasco to become Speaker but later endorsed Davao Rep. Isidro Ungab, was allegedly instrumental in seating former Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.