Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia was reelected speaker of the House for the fifth time, while Senator Manuel Villar regained the Senate presidency yesterday.

The Negros Occidental solons supported the bid of de Venecia who won unopposed after his closest rival Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia withdrew from the race at the last minute, Rep. Jose Carlos Lacson (Neg. Occ., 3 rd district) and Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (Neg. Occ. 5 th district) said.

It was obvious that Garcia did not have the numbers, Lacson said.

Lacson and Arroyo were among those who backed the speakership bid of de Venecia who won unopposed with 159 of the House votes.

The House has 242 members with 219 regular congressional districts and 23 party-list seats.

Arroyo said that with de Venecia at the helm of the House, there will be continuity and the President’s priority measurers can be enacted.

Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2 nd district) said he was for de Venecia because he believes he can push the agenda of the President in the House.

Rep. Genaro Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6 th district) said he supported de Venecia because he is fair to all.

“There was only one nominee (for speaker) so we really did not have to vote. We only had one voting to install our secretary general Roberto Nazareno as presiding officer or not, and the vote was clear 46 for the opposition and 160 to the Lakas coalition. That was the barometer I guess,” Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella said, in apparent reference for Garcia’s withdrawal from the race.

Rep. Ronaldo Zamora of San Juan, who was not nominated in the contest for speaker, became Minority Leader upon Rep. Rufus Rodriguez’s manifestation on behalf of the members of the Genuine Opposition.

“Now I extend a hand of reconciliation and friendship to those who were, only momentarily, my rivals. We saw things differently —now our views must begin converge as we buckle down to our legislative work,” de Venecia said in his speech after being declared Speaker of the House.

AT THE SENATE

Villar was elected Senate president by a vote of 15-7.

Those who voted for Villar were Senators Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Francis Escudero, Richard Gordon, Gregorio Honasan, Manuel Lapid, Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Ramon Revilla Jr., and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Those who voted for Pimentel were Senators Benigno Aquino III, Rodolfo Biazon, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Ana Consuelo Madrigal, Mar Roxas, and Manuel Villar.

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada was elected Senate pro tempore and Senator Francis Pangilinan retained his post as majority floor leader.

Villar asked his fellow senators to rise above their political differences and re-examine the agenda of national development.

"Over the years, the Senate has been the subject of much criticism and doubt, leading many to conclude that it is best to abolish it. However, the recently concluded senatorial elections only emphasized the Senate's crucial role in the balance of power among its co-equal branches of government," he said.

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