By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Abang Lingkod partylist Rep. Stephen Paduano yesterday revealed the House of Representatives Visayan bloc will soon decide on who to support for house speaker, identifying Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco and Leyte first district Rep. Martin Romualdez as their primary choices.
In the next congress, Velasco will be entering his second consecutive term in office; while Romualdez is returning to the post following the recent midterm elections after previously serving as congressman from 2007 to 2016.
Last month, Bacolod City lone district Rep. Greg Gasataya said there were four potential candidates for the post, aside from Romualdez and Velasco, he also named Taguig-Pateros lone district Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano and Davao del Norte first district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
Paduano said the Visayan bloc is due to meet before July 15 in order to reach consensus on the matter.
In the previous congress, both Negros Occidental sixth district Rep. Mercedes Alvarez and Capiz second district Rep. Fredenil Castro served as deputy speaker; however, after this year’s polls, Alvarez was term-limited and Castro did not seek re-election./DGB, WDJ