MANILA— Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado is out as chairman of the powerful House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, with DIWA Party List Rep. Michael Aglipay taking over as more allies of ousted speaker Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano lost key roles in the chamber.

Aglipay was elected during the House of Representatives plenary session Wednesday.

The scion of Bulacan politicians, Sy-Alvarado has been among the most prominent allies of Cayetano, who was booted out of the House helm with the election of House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco in October.

He had appeared prominently in media, having led committee investigations on PhilHealth, the distribution of the Social Amelioration Program, the cost of electricity sold by Meralco during the pandemic, the plight of repatriated Filipino migrants because of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise renewal and the 2021 national budget.

Aglipay, meanwhile, is brother to Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay Villar, making him brother in law to Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.

In a press release, Diwa Party-list welcomed his election, saying Aglipay has always believed that governments should be free from corruption.

In the same statement, Aglipay said: "Corruption in government is perhaps one of the greatest of evils; it is what prevents the most vulnerable in society from being served even with the most basic needs. There is blood on a corrupt politician’s hands whenever a person needlessly dies because they failed to access such basic necessities.”

Aglipay vowed to steer the committee in strongly addressing corruption, focusing on the mandate of the panel in the pursuit of a clean, corrupt, free and honest government.

He also expressed his heartfelt thanks to Velasco for his trust and confidence.

Aglipay belongs to a group of neophyte lawmakers who were among the first to declare their support for Velasco’s speakership.

Identifying themselves as the "Yamasaki Bloc," the group explained in October why they were backing Velasco, citing his "youthful leadership."

"We have faith in Congressman Velasco’s ability to lead and unite the lower house as it truly represents the interest of the people of the Philippines," they earlier said.

Changes in the House have been ongoing since Velasco's ascent to the chamber's helm in October.

Last week, the House unanimously elected Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez as Deputy Speaker replacing Capiz 2nd District Rep. Fredenil Castro, Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza was also elected Deputy Speaker replacing Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, and Camille Villar was also named Deputy Speaker replacing Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu. Villar eventually declined the position.

• More Cayetano allies removed from key positions in Velasco's House

Castro and Fernandez openly campaigned for the retention of ousted Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. It maybe recalled that Castro and Fernandez delivered stinging privilege speeches hitting Velasco’s fitness, experience and work ethic. Abu is also known as a staunch ally of Cayetano.

Cayetano had wanted to extend his stay as Speaker despite a term-sharing agreement with Velasco. He was ousted, and Velasco prevailed.

The plenary also elected Caloocan Rep. Dale Along Malapitan as head of the contingent to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal vice Kabayan Rep. Ron Salo, another staunch Cayetano ally.

Earlier today, Atienza appealed to his colleagues to let Speaker Velasco scrutinize and make changes in committee leaderships to ensure efficiency.

Atienza said Velasco cannot be prevented from changing chairmanships if the incumbents are inefficient. He also said the changes have not been massive and there are no major turnovers.

He, meanwhile, explained that the performance audit of committee heads would not depend on party affiliations as those who have worked hard would likely keep their posts.

Atienza said some committees underperformed, noting several measures did not move in some panels. He said this may have been due to “human factors” that prompted the previous House leadership to hold on to their posts

Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda, meanwhile, said that throughout his time in the House, he has seen speakership changes that led to massive reshuffles of committee chairmanships.

Velasco is known to have made the least changes in committee chairmanships that Salceda has seen through his whole time as a lawmaker.

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