THE National Unity Party (NUP) has expelled Deputy Speaker and Cebu Representative Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco for defying the party’s official stance supporting the continued leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez in the upcoming 20th Congress. This was confirmed by NUP President and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte.
“The party leadership has decided to expel Duke (Frasco) from the NUP because his unilateral decision not to support Rep. Martin’s continued stay as Speaker in the next Congress is a blatant breach of the NUP’s official position of unequivocal support for the Speaker to keep his premier post in the next Congress,” Villafuerte said.
“Given that this has been the unanimous stance of our party, Duke’s one-man decision to withdraw support from the Speaker runs counter to the NUP’s official manifestation of support for Congressman Martin—and means his status as a member of our party has become untenable,” said Villafuerte. “He should have first discussed his contrary position with our party leadership, rather than go out in public and breach our unanimous party decision.”
He said that it has been “a long-standing policy of the NUP for all of us to speak and act as one,” Villafuerte said. “Going to the media to publicly oppose our party position, especially without prior consultation with any of our party officers, is punishable with expulsion from the NUP.”
Nearly a month ago, the NUP formally declared that it was giving its full backing to Romualdez to keep on course the Bagong Pilipinas vision of President Marcos of better lives for all Filipinos.
“The NUP supports 100% the continuity of the Bagong Pilipinas agenda of President Marcos of better lives for all Filipinos in the second half of his presidency,” said Villafuerte, “and for the House to help stay the course of this pro-poor and pro-growth vision in the Congress, it is crucial for Speaker Martin to remain at the helm of the bigger chamber to continue shepherding the passage of the priority bills of this Administration meant to spell high, inclusive and sustainable growth.”
He noted that “leadership continuity is so essential at this point, given that Filipinos have started to reap the benefits of the initiatives that have been carried out in the first three years of the Marcos presidency to improve their lives.
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