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Ousted Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said Tuesday he has no specific
plans yet about when and how he will expose the alleged wrongdoings
in the Arroyo government.
He alluded to several alleged anomalies – from
attempts to cheat in the 2004 elections to possible wrongdoings in
government transactions, including the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo)
bidding – in a privilege speech before lawmakers in the House
voted overwhelmingly to remove him as Speaker.
In that speech, de Venecia said, “Everything
[in government] is for sale.” He conceded that he was also a
“sinner,” as he renewed calls for a moral revolution to cleanse
government of graft and corruption.
On Tuesday, de Venecia said he will make the
expose in “due time.”
In a radio interview on dzMM, he said he only
had a limited time Monday night, and there are a lot of things to
talk about in the days and weeks to come. “I’m going to lead
this primarily because of our call for moral revolution,” he
added.
“I will help the opposition stop or expose
bribery and corruption in government,” the former House leader
said. He added that he is determined to initiate government reforms
together with the opposition and civil society.
De Venecia said President Gloria Arroyo could do
a lot to stop illegal activities in government and to punish those
guilty, if only she has the political will.
Meanwhile, newly installed Speaker Prospero
Nograles of Davao City said de Venecia’s allegations, particularly
those pertaining to 2004 election fraud among other anomalies in
government he alluded to, will be investigated only if they are
referred to the proper committee.
“Right now, we still have to check the records
if there was somebody who made a motion to have [the allegations]
referred to the proper committee for investigation,” Nograles told
reporters.
Gina on offensive
In an interview on the television network ABS-CBN,
Gina de Venecia, wife of the former Speaker, said the two sons of
President Arroyo are “spoiled brats.”
The two are Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado
“Dato” Arroyo and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo.
Mrs. de Venecia said they were instrumental in removing her husband,
a vendetta for their son’s Senate testimony linking Jose Miguel
“Mike” Arroyo – their father – to the controversial national
broadband deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. Mike Arroyo has
denied the allegations.
Gina de Venecia said the Arroyo children in the
House are “drunk with power,” and that the move to remove her
husband was not done out of national interest.
In his privilege speech, former Speaker de
Venecia said the Arroyo children are moving to oust him, despite his
wife standing as godparent in their weddings.
Lakas presidency at stake
The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, the ruling
coalition, indefinitely cancelled its directorate meeting on
Thursday, a development related to de Venecia’s removal as
Speaker, said Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone.
Evardone, a Lakas member, said de Venecia is in
danger of losing the party presidency. President Arroyo is chairman
of the ruling coalition.
“I’m not privy to divulge the name, but
there’s a city mayor [from the Visayas] who will call for the
ouster of [de Venecia] from Lakas,” he added. “But I think
it’s wrong because personal matters are separate from Lakas party
matters and also from Congress matters.”
After his speech Monday night, some Lakas
officials reportedly said de Venecia had burned his bridges with
Mrs. Arroyo and should resign from the party.
Evardone, a staunch supporter of the President,
said many Lakas party members are confused about whom to be loyal to
– de Venecia or Mrs. Arroyo. He added that many of them have
started joining the President’s party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang
Pilipino (Kampi).
“The major predicament of Lakas members is
where to go and many of them sided with the President,” Evardone
said. “The breakup of Lakas is inevitable, and I hope the party
leadership [will] meet and do something to avert the collapse.”
Most of Lakas members are leaving because the
party failed to serve the interests of the members, and this is also
the reason why there is a crack within the party, Evardone said.
Many of those leaving are governors, which is
bad, he added, since it may prompt mayors to follow their governors.
Evardone predicted that Kampi will be a
formidable party in the next elections. “It is definitely one of
the formidable parties in 2010. You can see it now. It is strong.”
-- Maricel V. Cruz And Angelo S. Samonte
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