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By Rommel C. Lontayao Reporter
Officials of the ruling Lakas-Christian
Muslim Democrats showed off their strength Tuesday, in an effort to
allay fears the party is on the verge of disintegration after Jose
de Venecia Jr. was removed as Speaker.
The Lakas officials announced
they are pushing through with negotiations for a merger with
President Gloria Arroyo’s party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang
Pilipino (Kampi). Right now, Lakas and Kampi belong to a coalition.
In a merger, Lakas will likely become the dominant – perhaps, the
surviving – entity, a Palace official said.
“Lakas is strong, will remain
strong and solidly behind the present administration” of President
Arroyo, Lakas secretary-general, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, said in a
press conference Wednesday.
“We dispel rumors that the
party is on the brink of collapse,” he added. “The party remains
intact, and there are no defections in this point of time.”
“What we do not want is for the
party to become divided between a JdV faction and a GMA faction,”
Zubiri said, referring to de Venecia and President Arroyo by their
initials. “Lakas should remain solid.”
Another Lakas stalwart, former
Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay, said that if de
Venecia leaves the party, it does not necessarily mean that the
party will be largely affected. There are Lakas members who
suggested that de Venecia should be booted out of the party for
charging that the Arroyo administration is involved in graft and
corruption. (See related front-page story.)
Lakas is not a party of
personalities, said Pichay, who was reported to be angling for the
Speakership before he ran for the Senate in 2007.
“If Lakas is JdV, then reports
that the party is going down may be true. But Lakas is not JdV,”
he added.
Solid behind Nograles
Lakas officials and their allies
said they are supporting the installation of Rep. Prospero Nograles
of Daavao City as the new House Speaker.
Binalonan, Pangasinan, Mayor
Ramon Guico Jr., president of the Union of Local Authorities of the
Philippines and a relative of Mrs. Arroyo, welcomed the election of
Nograles as a “whiff of fresh air.”
“Rep. Nograles is a very strong
leader and member of the party,” Guico said.
“Speaker Nograles, as the
voting indicated, has the backing of the majority of his
colleagues,” he added. “Local executives like us are full of
hope and expectations that Congress, under his helm, will undergo
meaningful changes that will interweave the socio-economic blueprint
of the LGUs (local-government units).”
Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur
Abalos Jr., president of the League of Cities of the Philippines,
meanwhile described Nograles’ victory in the House as a
“well-deserved one.”
The League of Provinces of the
Philippines, on the other hand, said it believes that the collective
decision of the congressmen was for the good of the nation.
The League also cited de
Venecia’s acceptance of his replacement as House Speaker, but
disagreed “with his statements of baseless accusations against the
President,” which they said were uncalled for.
Merger with Kampi
Zubiri said there is a
possibility that Lakas will merge with Kampi for the 2010 elections.
The merger looked imminent as
Nograles on Tuesday vowed to reunify and to strengthen both
Lakas-CMD and Kampi.
Mayor Guico also said there is no
reason why Lakas and Kampi should not merge since they both support
Mrs. Arroyo’s administration.
Lakas claims to be the force in
the 2010 polls and with the merger with Kampi, it hopes to become
the strongest party.
Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the
Department of Interior and Local Government said if Kampi merges
with Lakas, the latter will probably be the surviving entity. Puno
added that he has discussed the merger with Executive Secretary
Eduardo Ermita, an official of Lakas.
“This has been started even
before the speakership controversy,” Puno said. “Now, that the
fight for speakership is over, we will continue the discussions on
the potential, imminent merger of Lakas and Kampi.”
He confirmed that the merger is
meant to consolidate both parties for the coming presidential
elections and make them a very strong force to reckon with in 2010.
Puno said they are just being
practical, and the move is consistent with the party’s objective.
“I think a Lakas-Kampi combination, assuming the merger will push
through, will be a very difficult party to contend with,” he
added.
He said with the merger, the
administration will one field one candidate in all local and
national levels.
--With Angelo S. Samonte
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