SCUTTLEBUTT

Chink in armor

A schism is developing in the once solid front supporting the House leadership.

The rift started with a “filibustero,” which demolished claims of a solid line of congressmen-supporters. Cebu Representative Duke Frasco’s recent stand exposed cracks in House unity, a former Palace official said.

Doubts were cast over the claim that 287 out of 317 lawmakers had signed a manifesto of support for Speaker Martin Romualdez’s retention of the speakership in the next Congress.

“There was no such 287,” the official said.

Frasco’s revelation that he declined to sign the manifesto of support for Romualdez was a clear indication that not all House members were aligned behind the chamber leadership.

If the leadership truly had a lock on 287 members, the absence of one name wouldn’t have sparked this much noise, “but the moment Frasco stood his ground, it became obvious that the support base was no longer as solid,” according to the source.

Two days after the 12 May elections, lawmakers were asked to sign a manifesto of support for the House leadership.

“There’s a growing resistance. There’s a ‘filibustero’ in the House,” the source said.

It was described as a “quiet but mounting dissent” that could affect the power equation at the House.

Frasco, a member of a powerful political clan in Cebu, said his decision not to sign the manifesto followed consultations with local leaders from the Visayas and Mindanao, and growing frustration among his constituents and fellow lawmakers over the perceived breakdown of House unity.