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Listo pa sa nangamatay,” remarked Senate Minority Leader Aquilino
Pimentel Jr. after he was asked if he felt the ongoing attempt to
oust Jose de Venecia Jr. as Speaker of the House of Representatives
would succeed.
Guesting at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo media
forum, Pimentel said that while he would like to see a fellow
southerner like Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles rise to the fourth
highest political office in the land, JdV’s rivals should not
underestimate him.
“Removing Speaker de Venecia is not as easy as
it looks,” Pimentel said of the wily veteran politico.
The beleaguered House chief was set to meet with
President Arroyo and former President Fidel V. Ramos at Malacañang
Sunday, where the incumbent Chief Executive was expected to
reiterate her support for the embattled Speaker.
As this was being written, however, the putative
masterminds of the oust-JdV movement—Mrs. Arroyo’s congressional
sons, Juan Miguel of Pampanga and Diosdado of Camarines Sur, and
brother-in-law, Ignacio of Negros Occidental—did not appear to
have been dissuaded by her outward expression of support for de
Venecia.
On the eve of the Palace meeting, widespread was
the speculation that the President would offer the same excuse de
Venecia gave when his son, Jose 3rd, came out with guns blazing at
First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo over the controversial National
Broadband Network deal.
Said the Speaker as his son lashed out at the
Arroyos, he may be my son but he has a mind of his own—or
something to that effect.
What was to prevent the President, the
speculators said, from responding in like manner to the Speaker’s
request for her to tighten the proverbial leash on her sons and
bayaw?
Tectonic effect
Whatever the outcome of the Palace parley and
the House konfrontasi this fateful Monday, observers are hoping the
dispute would be resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible.
At the Kapihan, too, Parañaque Rep. Roilo
Golez said the House minority has nothing at stake in the
speakership fight. However, the deputy leader of the 25-strong House
minority was quick to add that a change in their chamber’s
leadership would have a “tectonic effect” on the government and,
for that matter, the entire country.
The Speaker is technically the fourth highest
political official in the land, Golez said, “but he is probably
more influential than the Senate president or the vice-president.”
From the House, the opposition lawmaker pointed out, originates the
budget, tax bills and other legislation that are critical to the
government’s operations.
“If the change in House leadership is to
come,” said Golez, “let it be done as quickly as possible. The
country cannot afford to prolong such instability. Congress should
be able to keep its focus and tackle the business of legislation and
governance.”
A quick and painless resolution would be the
ideal conclusion to the speakership fight—yet, neither of the two
possible outcomes promises to bring immediate or even long-term
closure to the dispute.
If de Venecia is dislodged, would that persuade
him to formally cast his lot with the anti-GMA forces within
Congress and without—thereby reinforcing the opposition with his
formidable political savvy?
But if JdV manages to keep his post, would the
House members who resent his long-running leadership simply accept
defeat and cease firing? Fat chance.
Transactional possibilities
Bad blood has reportedly developed between the
de Venecias and the Arroyos—which was brought to boil when Jose
3rd again began attacking the President and her kin over the
abortive NBN contract recently. However, not all of the congressmen
who have signified their intention to support the no-confidence vote
against JdV seemed as motivated by irreconcilable differences.
The Liberal Party contingent in the House turned
against JdV after he thumbed down its request to reserve one seat in
the bicameral Commission on Appointments for an LP congressman.
Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza said, also at the
Kapihan, that over a dozen of the 20 or so LP congressmen have
decided to add their weight to the oust-JdV move.
If de Venecia were to grant the LP its
much-sought representation in the powerful appointments body, would
that appease the Liberals, Daza was asked.
Unfortunately, the neophyte lawmaker was unable
to give a clear-cut reply—leading observers to suspect that the LP
and other factions in the oust-JdV movement could yet be made to
change their tune if last-minute backroom talks lead to mutually
acceptable arrangements.
Whatever happens this Monday, both Golez and
Daza agreed, de Venecia has already made his mark in the history of
the Congress of the Philippines, which he has served for an
unprecedented five terms as Speaker.
Observers could not help but sense that the
homage to JdV sounded like a eulogy. They could be proven wrong, of
course.
As Pimental said of de Venecia, listo pa sa
nangamatay. For a translation, consult the nearest Visayan-speaker.
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