MANILA - In a tension-filled vote, the House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted a resolution entering into the record the July 23 proceedings that elected former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as House Speaker.
In a session Monday night, Arroyo was elected as the new House Speaker, with 184 lawmakers voting in her favor and 12 lawmakers opting to abstain.
Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was supposed to be ousted during the opening session in the morning, but his allies abruptly adjourned the session to stop other members from raising a motion to declare the Speaker’s post vacant.
The House mace went missing before President Rodrigo Duterte's third State of the Nation Address, thus preventing the transition from taking place. The House cannot hold session without the mace in its proper place.
The resolution insists that the power of the House was in the plenary.
As the Wednesday session opened, House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas objected to the resolution declaring Arroyo as House Speaker.
Fariñas, chair of the House Committee on Rules, questioned if the resolution passed through his committee.
Andaya said it was agreed upon by majority of the House and proceeded to adopt the resolution.
The resolution was passed amid shouting on the floor.
More details to follow. --With reports from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News