It turned out to be President Duterte himself who broke the ice between Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at a glitzy dinner party on Thursday evening.
For weeks, speculations about the VIP-only gathering organized by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco had fanned the flames of an ouster plot in the House of Representatives, with Arroyo supposedly consolidating her forces to unseat Alvarez.
But it seemed the two officials finally cleared the air at the ritzy Sofitel that night as guests feasted on steak and wine while A-list entertainers performed on stage.
Velasco, in a phone interview with the Inquirer, recalled how the President poked fun at the awkwardness between Arroyo, who had become a fixture at his official functions, and his bosom buddy, Alvarez.
鈥淪peaker, parang matamlay ka diyan (you seem glum over there),鈥� Mr. Duterte teased his friend during his speech, according to the Marinduque congressman.
鈥淒on鈥檛 worry. I鈥檝e talked to GMA (Arroyo鈥檚 initials). She has no ambitions to become Speaker,鈥� Velasco quoted the President as saying.
No transcript
Malaca帽ang, at the request of the organizers, did not provide reporters a transcript of the President鈥檚 speech at the event.
Contrary to the President鈥檚 teasing, the Speaker 鈥渨as in good spirits for the rest of the night,鈥� Velasco told the Inquirer. 鈥淗e stayed until the very end.鈥�
In a quiet moment between the two, he said he assured Alvarez that he had no hand in any supposed coup in the House.
鈥淗e believed me,鈥� said Velasco, the son of Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr.
Alvarez did not respond to the Inquirer鈥檚 messages asking for comment.
Dinner concert
Velasco sparked a maelstrom of speculations as details of the hush dinner concert at Sofitel emerged little by little in the past weeks.
鈥淚n the beginning, I don鈥檛 think there was any ouster plots happening. But as people learned about the dinner party, people were suddenly saying I wanted to be the next Speaker, or that former President GMA was planning to be the next Speaker,鈥� he said.
鈥淭o my mind, I wasn鈥檛 even doing anything,鈥� Velasco said.
In attendance at the party were the President鈥檚 partner Honeylet Avance帽a and daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, and former Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Expense
The performers included Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla and Lani Misalucha.
Asked how much the evening cost him, Velasco said a 鈥渃ouple of friends鈥� contributed to the expense. 鈥淒efinitely we spent for the party,鈥� he said, declining to give a figure.
He insisted that there was no political meaning to the event.
鈥淚t was just me and my wife with our friends and close allies. It was just to show our support to the President, and that we really believe in the President.鈥�