The deputy speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines () are the second highest-ranking officials of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. During the absence of the House speaker, one of the House deputy speakers will preside over a session of the chamber.
The positions of deputy speakers were established in the 10th Congress, replacing the single office of speaker pro tempore, which existed from 1922 to 1995.
The incumbent deputy speakers of the House are representatives Dinand Hernandez (Senior Deputy Speaker), Janette Garin, Yasser Balindong, Paolo Ortega, Jay Khonghun, Kristine Singson-Meehan, Ronaldo Puno, Ferjenel Biron, Raymond Mendoza, Yevgeny Emano, David Suarez, Maria Rachel Arenas, Duke Frasco, and Albee Benitez.
The House elects its deputy speakers by a majority vote of the members present, provided there is a quorum, either at the opening of a new Congress every three years, after a general election, or when a vacancy occurs.
In the event of the death, resignation, or permanent incapacity of any deputy speaker, the speaker of the House may designate an acting deputy speaker.
The duties and powers of the House deputy speakers, as contained in Rule V, Section 17 of the House rules, are the following:
Prior to the creation of the deputy speakerships in 1995, Batas Pambansa No. 882, enacted on December 9, 1985, provided that the speaker pro tempore of the Batasang Pambansa would act as president in the event of the deputy prime minister's inability to do so during vacancies in the offices of the prime minister, the speaker of the Batasan, and the president of the Philippines, prior to the presidential election supposed to take place in 1987. Upon the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, only the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House were included in the presidential line of succession.
In 1898, the short-lived Malolos Congress elected Benito Legarda as its vice president, serving as deputy to president Pedro Paterno. This was the first known instance of a deputy presiding officer elected by a national legislative body in the Philippines.
After the Jones Law was enacted to serve as the interim constitution of the Philippines, an elected House of Representatives served as the lower house of the bicameral Congress. The House elected Antonio de las Alas as its first speaker pro tempore during the 6th Philippine Legislature. The position then became vacant until QuintÃÂn Paredes was elected in 1928. Jose Zulueta was the last speaker pro tempore before the abolition of Congress in 1935 but was subsequently elected to the same position in the unicameral National Assembly. to the restored the bicameral legislature the following year, in 1941.
Prospero Sanidad was elected speaker pro tempore of the reestablished House in the first Commonwealth Congress. Shifting leadership between the Nacionalista and Liberal parties in subsequent Congresses led to speakers pro tempore from different parties being elected to the position until 1972. Francisco Ortega, a member of the Liberal Party, became the speaker pro tempore after the party gained a majority in the House after the 1946 elections. At the start of the 3rd Congress, Daniel Romualdez was elected speaker pro tempore. He was succeeded by Constancio Castañeda in the 4th Congress after Jose Laurel Jr. resigned the speakership to run for vice president in the 1957 elections and Romualdez was elected speaker. Jose Aldeguer served as the last speaker pro tempore of the House before Congress was dissolved when President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law and assumed legislative powers.
The position was revived when the unicameral Batasang Pambansa was established in 1978, with Datu Blah Sinsuat being elected as speaker pro tempore of the Interim Batasan. Salipada Pendatun, who had previously served as speaker pro tempore from 1962 to 1965, was reelected to the position in 1984 in the Regular Batasang Pambansa and served until his death in 1985, when he was succeeded by Macacuna Dimaporo. The Batasan was later abolished with the signing of Proclamation No. 3 by President Corazon Aquino, known as the âÂÂ.âÂÂ
The restored the bicameral Congress, with the House of Representatives as its lower chamber. Antonio Cuenco and Raul Daza served as speakers pro tempore of the House during the 8th and 9th Congresses, respectively.
In 1995, the position of speaker pro tempore was replaced by deputy speakerships, wherein three representatives, one from the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, would serve concurrently and in rotation to preside over the chamber during the speaker's absence. Hernando Perez, Raul Daza, and Simeon Datumanong were elected in the 10th Congress as the first deputy speakers for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, respectively. The House then elected six deputy speakers, now representing the chamber at-large, from 2010 to 2016.
In the 17th Congress, the number of deputy speakers was increased to 12 in anticipation of a shift to federalism, with each deputy speaker supposed to represent a potential federal state. Several additional deputy speakers were eventually elected, and following the election of Lord Allan Velasco as speaker in 2020, 12 more were added, bringing the total to 32, the highest in the House's history. A senior deputy speaker was also designated from among the deputy speakers. The number was reduced in the 19th Congress, with the election of only 9 deputy speakers.
This list excludes representatives who have served as senior deputy speakers of the House of Representatives, who are officially included in the overall roster of deputy speakers.<br>For the list, see list of senior deputy speakers.