The House of Representatives on Thursday elected Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio 'Dong' Gonzales Jr. as Senior Deputy Speaker, replacing former president and Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Before the lower house adjourned its first regular session on Wednesday evening, House leaders approved the motion to replace Arroyo as senior deputy speaker.
"Mr. Speaker, I move to elect honorable Dong Gonzales Jr., Representative of 3rd District Pampanga, as Senior Deputy Speaker voiced the honorable Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. I so move," Deputy Majority Leader Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor said.
Shortly after the approval of his first motion, Defensor called for the election of Arroyo as a deputy speaker.
In a statement, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose ‘Mannix’ Dalipe said stripping the "senior" title from Arroyo was made to lift the "heavy load required from the position".
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the former president simply said that "it's prerogative of the House."
