Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

The speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines (Filipino: Ispiker ng Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas) is the presiding officer and the highest-ranking official of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, as well as the fourth highest and most powerful official of the Government of the Philippines.

Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Ispiker ng Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas
Seal of the Philippine House of Representatives
Flag of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Lord Allan Velasco
since October 12, 2020
StyleThe Honorable (formal)
AppointerElected by the Philippine House of Representatives
Term length3 years
Inaugural holderSergio Osmeña
FormationOctober 16, 1907 (1907-10-16)
SuccessionThird in the Presidential Line of Succession
WebsiteSpeaker of the House

The Speaker is elected by a majority of all of the Representatives from among themselves. The Speaker is the third and last in line in succession for the presidency, after the Vice President of the Philippines and the President of the Senate of the Philippines.

A Speaker may be removed from office in a coup, or can be replaced by death or resignation. In some cases, a Speaker may be compelled to resign at the middle of a Congress' session after he has lost support of the majority of congressmen; in that case, an election for a new Speaker is held. Despite being a partisan official, the Speaker (or whoever is presiding) does not vote unless in breaking ties in accordance with the Rules of the House of Representatives.

The incumbent House Speaker is Lord Allan Velasco from Marinduque's lone district under the 18th Congress of the Philippines, elected on October 12, 2020.

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Election
See also: List of Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives elections

When the Office of the Speaker is vacant (usually at the beginning of a new Congress), the Secretary-General of the House sits as the Speaker until a person is elected. A Speaker is usually elected via majority vote via roll call of the Representatives, after nomination at the start of each new Congress. Usually, despite the current multi-party system used, only two representatives are nominated, with nominations being agreed upon before each Congress during caucuses between the administration and opposition coalitions, with the chosen candidate of the majority coalition being almost certain to win by a large margin. The two competing candidates by tradition vote for each other; those who voted for the speaker-elect is assigned as the "majority" coalition while those who didn't are the minority coalition, with the losing candidate usually being named as Minority Leader.

In the 2013 election, there were three candidates for the speakership. In this case, the candidates didn't vote for each other, and the second-placed candidate became Minority Leader and headed the minority bloc. The third-placed candidate became the leader of the "independent minority" bloc. Only the majority and minority blocs were given seats in committees. There was a chance that neither candidate would get a majority of votes; it is undetermined on what should be done if that happened.

Role

According to Section 15 of Rule 4 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the duties and powers of the Speaker as the political and administrative head of the House are as follows:

a. prepare the legislative agenda for every regular session, establish systems and procedures to ensure full deliberation and swift approval of measures included therein, and may, for the purpose, avail of the assistance of the Deputy Speakers, the Majority Leader, the Chairpersons of the standing committees and other Members of the House;

b. conduct regular monthly caucus of all Members or groups thereof or as often as may be necessary to discuss priority measures and to facilitate dialogue, consensus and action on issues and concerns affecting the House and the performance of its functions;

c. exercise general supervision over all committees and, in furtherance thereof, conduct regular monthly meetings with the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of all standing and special committees to set legislative targets, review performance in the attainment of targets, ensure that the priority legislative measures of committees are attuned to the legislative agenda of the House, and resolve such other issues and concerns that affect the operations and performance of the committees;

d. as far as practicable, establish an efficient information management system in the House utilizing among others, modern digital technology, that can:

1. facilitate access to and dissemination of data and information needed in legislation inclusive of facilitating real time translation of plenary proceedings in the major Philippine dialects and languages;

2. provide a simplified and comprehensive process of gathering, recording, storage and retrieval of data and information relating to activities and proceedings of the House;

3.sustain a public information program that will provide accessible, timely and accurate information relating to the House, its Members and officers, its committees and its legislative concerns inclusive of facilitating, as far as practicable, broadcast coverage of plenary and committee proceedings;

e. establish an efficient and effective system to monitor and evaluate the performance of legislative tasks and duties of the House, its Members and its committees;

f. establish coordinative linkages with the Senate of the Philippines to efficiently monitor and facilitate Senate action on House measures pending with the same;

g. preside over the sessions of the House and decide all questions of order subject to appeal by any Member who may explain the appeal in not more than five (5) minutes: Provided, That the appeal shall not be subject to debate, and no explanation of vote shall be allowed in case of nominal voting;

h. designate a Member as temporary presiding officer after informing the Deputy Speakers: Provided, That any such designation shall be effective for one session day only;

i. take appropriate measures as may be deemed advisable or as the House may direct, to preserve order and decorum in the session hall, the galleries, lobbies, chambers, offices, corridors and premises of the House;

j. sign all acts, resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants and subpoenas that may be issued by or upon order of the House;

k. perform administrative functions such as, among others:

k1. appointment of personnel of the House with authority to delegate this power;

k2. suspension, dismissal or imposition of other disciplinary measures on House personnel in accordance with Civil Service rules: Provided, That the suspension or dismissal of the Secretary General and the Sergeant-at-Arms shall take effect only upon the concurrence of the majority of all the Members;

k3. consolidation or splitting of vacant positions carrying salaries and wages which may be increased or reduced in the process, and/or creation of new positions in accordance with the General Appropriations Act: Provided, That the total amount involved shall not exceed the total amount appropriated for the salaries and wages of the personnel of the House; and

k4. implementation of merit-based policies and programs on personnel recruitment, training and development, promotions, incentives and benefits to ensure that the House has a corps of competent professionals able to provide needed legislative support services;

l. prepare the annual budget of the House with the assistance of the Committee on Accounts;

m. in consultation with the Committee on Rules, prepare the rules and regulations governing public access to personal data and related information, including statements of assets and liabilities, of Members of the House;

n. in consultation with the Minority Leader, shall develop through an appropriate entity of the House a system for drug testing in the House of Representatives, which may provide for the testing of any Member, officer, or employee of the House, and otherwise shall be comparable in scope to the system for drug testing in the executive branch, Provided, That the expenses of the system may be paid from applicable accounts of the House for official expenses; and

o. require the submission of performance reports at the end of every regular session and fiscal year from the committee chairpersons, the Secretary General and the Sergeant-at-Arms, and such other reports as may be required from all concerned officers and offices of the House.

And according to Section 16 of the Rule 4 of the Rules of the House, the Speaker must "be the permanent head of delegation and representative of the House in all international parliamentary gatherings and organizations: Provided, that the Speaker may designate any Member to be the representative of the Speaker. The Speaker shall also determine, upon the recommendation of the Majority Leader, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy, who shall constitute the House delegation to any international conference or forum of parliamentarians and legislators and the secretariat support staff to be mobilized for the purpose."

List of Speakers
Speaker Party Term start Term end Legislature
National Assembly
1898-1901
Pedro Paterno
Member for Ilocos Norte at-large
(1857–1911)		 Independent September 15, 1898 March 23, 1901 National Assembly
Philippine Assembly
1907-1916
Sergio Osmeña
Member for Cebu-2nd
(1878–1961)		 Nacionalista October 16, 1907 October 16, 1916 1st Legislature
2nd Legislature
3rd Legislature
House of Representatives of the Philippine Islands
1916-1935
Sergio Osmeña
Member for Cebu-2nd
(1878–1961)		 Nacionalista October 16, 1916 June 6, 1922 4th Legislature
5th Legislature
Manuel Roxas
Member for Capiz-1st
(1892–1948)		 Nacionalista
Colectivista		 October 27, 1922 October 17, 1933 6th Legislature
Nacionalista
Consolidado		 7th Legislature
8th Legislature
Quintin Paredes
Member for Abra at-large
(1884-1973)		 October 17, 1933 September 16, 1935 9th Legislature
Nacionalista
Democrático		 10th Legislature
National Assembly of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
1935-1941
Gil Montilla
Member for Negros Occidental-3rd
(1876–1946)		 Nacionalista
Democrático		 November 15, 1935 December 30, 1938 1st National Assembly
José Yulo
Member for Negros Occidental-3rd
(1894–1976)		 Nacionalista January 23, 1939 December 30, 1941 2nd National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of the Philippines
1943-1945
Benigno Aquino Sr.
Member for Tarlac at-large
(1894–1947)		 KALIBAPI September 25, 1943 February 2, 1944 National Assembly
House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
1945-1946
José Zulueta
Member for Iloilo-1st
(1889–1972)		 Nacionalista June 9, 1945 May 25, 1946 1st Congress
Eugenio Pérez
Member for Pangasinan-2nd
(1896–1957)		 Liberal May 25, 1946 July 4, 1946 2nd Congress
House of Representatives of the Philippines
1946-1972
Eugenio Pérez
Member for Pangasinan-2nd
(1896–1957)		 Liberal July 4, 1946 December 30, 1953 1st Congress
2nd Congress
José Laurel Jr.
Member for Batangas-3rd
(1912–1998)		 Nacionalista January 25, 1954 December 30, 1957 3rd Congress
Daniel Romuáldez
Member for Leyte-4th (until 1961)
Member for Leyte-1st (from 1961)
(1907–1965)		 January 27, 1958 March 9, 1962 4th Congress
5th Congress
Cornelio Villareal
Member for Capiz-2nd
(1904–1992)		 Liberal March 9, 1962 February 2, 1967 5th Congress
6th Congress
José Laurel Jr.
Member for Batangas-3rd
(1912–1998)		 Nacionalista February 2, 1967 April 1, 1971 6th Congress
7th Congress
Cornelio Villareal
Member for Capiz-2nd
(1904–1992)		 Liberal April 1, 1971 September 23, 1972 7th Congress
Batasang Pambansa
1978-1986
Querube Makalintal
Member for Region IV at-large
(1910–2002)		 KBL June 12, 1978 June 30, 1984 Interim Batasang Pambansa
Nicanor Yñiguez
Member for Southern Leyte at-large
(1915–2007)		 July 23, 1984 March 25, 1986 Regular Batasang Pambansa
House of Representatives of the Philippines
1987-present
Ramon Mitra Jr.
Member for Palawan-2nd
(1928–2000)		 LDP July 27, 1987 June 30, 1992 8th Congress
Jose de Venecia Jr.
Member for Pangasinan-4th
(born 1936)		 Lakas July 27, 1992 June 30, 1998 9th Congress
10th Congress
Manuel Villar
Member for Las Piñas at-large
(born 1949)		 LAMMP July 27, 1998 November 13, 2000 11th Congress
Arnulfo Fuentebella
Member for Camarines Sur-3rd
(1945–2020)		 NPC November 13, 2000 January 24, 2001
Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Member for Quezon City-4th
(born 1936)		 Lakas January 24, 2001 June 30, 2001
Jose de Venecia Jr.
Member for Pangasinan-4th
(born 1936)		 July 23, 2001 February 5, 2008 12th Congress
13th Congress
Prospero Nograles
Member for Davao City-1st
(1947–2019)		 February 5, 2008 June 30, 2010 14th Congress
Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Member for Quezon City-4th
(born 1936)		 Liberal July 26, 2010 June 30, 2016 15th Congress
16th Congress
Pantaleon Alvarez
Member for Davao del Norte-1st
(born 1958)		 PDP–Laban July 25, 2016 July 23, 2018 17th Congress
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Member for Pampanga-2nd
(born 1947)		 July 23, 2018 June 30, 2019
Alan Peter Cayetano
Member for Taguig-Pateros
(born 1970)		 Nacionalista July 22, 2019 October 12, 2020 18th Congress
Lord Allan Jay Velasco
Member for Lone District of Marinduque
(born 1977)		 PDP-Laban October 12, 2020 Incumbent

Timeline

Living former Speakers of the House

Currently there are six living former Speakers of the House:

See also

References
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