By Ellson Quismorio If Deputy Speaker Johnny Pimentel would have his way, he would prefer that talks on the alleged scuttled 15-21 term-sharing agreement on the House Speakership be set aside simply because there are more important matters that deserve attention. Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel
(FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN) "Why can’t we wait until the time comes? Let us concentrate on the priority bills of the President," he said. This notwithstanding, Pimentel can't help but praise incumbent Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for his sterling performance as reflected in his trust and approval ratings, which arguably sparked insinuations that the latter's term-sharing deal with Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco could be ditched. "I commend Speaker Cayetano for his good performance and for a job well done," said Pimentel, who represents Surigao del Sur's second district in the House of Representatives. Under the 15-21 term-sharing scheme, Taguig-Pateros Rep. Cayetano will serve as Speaker for the first 15 months of the current 18th Congress. After this, Velasco would take over the reins for the final 21 months. This agreement was reportedly brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte himself as a last-ditch effort to prevent his House allies from quarreling over the position. Cayetano has been making headlines for his 64-percent approval rating and 62-percent trust rating based on the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey. These numbers were said to be the highest ever received by a Speaker. Some House members have since come out to insinuate or flatly say that Cayetano should remain as the Speaker for the entirety of the 18th Congress on the strength of his survey figures. "I do not think it's s a good idea to speculate on this matter at this point because there are more pressing matters that must be given priority rather than these useless speculations which are just fueling political intrigues in Congress," Pimentel said. If the term-split will push through, Velasco would take over the top post in the chamber between October and November 2020. Velasco does not have the experience and clout of Cayetano, but he is Duterte's party-mate at the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and is a close friend of presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. Nacionalista Party's (NP) Cayetano, Duterte's running mate during the 2016 polls, is a former multi-term senator. The current Speaker was perceived to have ruffled some feathers last week when he told reporters that he would seek instructions from the elder Duterte a month or two before the end of his term. This gave the impression that a Velasco speakership wasn't a sure thing. Pimentel, a PDP-Laban stalwart, said that the President will have the final say on the Speakership issue. "As I have said before, I strongly believe that it will all depend on the decision of the President. All of the congressmen will abide by his decision."