The House of Representatives has relieved former president and now Pampanga lawmaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from her deputy speaker post.
Arroyo's relief came after she "chose not to sign" a resolution seeking to uphold the honor and integrity of the lower chamber amid accusations of corruption leveled at it by another former president, Rodrigo Duterte.
Also relieved from the same post and apparently for the same reason was Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab. Both Arroyo and Ungab are known close allies of Duterte.
The move against Arroyo and Ungab was preceded by a petition to replace them with Isabela Rep. Antonio Albano and Lanao del Sur Rep. Yasser Balindong, respectively, which presiding Deputy Speaker Roberto Puno approved.
House majority leader Mannix Dalipe said the removal of Arroyo and Ungab was a collective decision of the House, as their refusal to sign House Resolution 1414 ran counter to the stance of the chamber's leadership.
Duterte's verbal attacks against the House tarnish its reputation, the resolution said.
Dalipe said of the nine deputy speakers, only Arroyo and Ungab chose not to sign the resolution adopted by the House on Monday during the resumption of the second regular session of the 19th Congress after a month-long recess.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday delivered an impassioned 10-minute speech that put across the message that he would not buckle down to critics who call into question the institution he heads over its handling of the issue of confidential funds.
Romualdez did not name the critics, but it may be recalled that Duterte had previously called out the House over its decision to strip Vice President Sara Duterte's office of P650 million in confidential funds.