Meanwhile, in the presidential election, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) emerged with an insurmountable lead over the Liberals' Mar Roxas.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist People's Coalition finished second in number of seats won, followed by the Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, United Nationalist Alliance, Lakas–CMD, PDP–Laban, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino and Aksyon Demokratiko.

These include PDP–Laban's Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte, National Unity Party (NUP)'s Karlo Nograles of Davao City, and incumbent speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. of Quezon City.

[11] Duterte chose PDP–Laban's Alvarez, a returning congressman, over Nograles as his preferred candidate for the speakership.

Nograles gave way to Alvarez, to secure a "super majority" in Congress, while keeping the minority bloc to about 20 members.

[12] Alvarez and defeated senatorial candidate Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, chairman of the Lakas–CMD, signed an agreement formalizing their parties' alliance.

Alvarez said that his "Coalition for Change" includes representatives from the PDP–Laban, the NP, NPC, NUP, Lakas, various party-lists, and even from the Liberal Party.

Alvarez visited Belmonte's home in Quezon City to pave way for a smooth transition of power in the lower house.

[15] Meanwhile, outgoing Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said that there are some Liberal representatives who won't jump ship to PDP–Laban, but would still vote for Alvarez for the speakership, with the Liberals signing the same coalition agreement with the NPC, which the latter also signed with PDP–Laban.

[16] Danilo Suarez of Quezon, who ran under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) emerged as Belmonte's primary opponent for the minority leader position.

[17] While this is happening, the NUP and Lakas announced a coalition that would support Duterte in the lower house, and backed the election of Alvarez for the speakership.

[18] Alvarez spent the remainder of May consolidating the pro-Duterte forces in the House of Representatives.

Belmonte seemed content to lead the opposition in the lower house, rather than joining the majority bloc, saying that "we must have a minority.