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DAVAO CITY: Moves to oust Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. goes fever
pitch even as a member of the Senate said the incumbent Lower House
leader should see the “writing on the wall.”
The 60-man strong Mindanao bloc of Lower House
were to convene Saturday night to push for the installation of Davao
City first district Rep. Prospero Nograles as the new speaker
when Congress resumes sessions on Monday following the Yuletide
break.
“Every congressman knows that the removal of
Speaker de Venecia was only a matter of time,” Senator Francis
“Chiz” Escudero of the opposition Nationalist People’s
Coalition (NPC) told the Mindanao Insider here shortly before
attending the national convention of “Karancho” Saturday
morning.
Opposition Rep. Rodolfo Plaza of Agusan del Sur
was quoted here as saying he would cross party lines to support
moves to put Nograles, a fellow Mindanawon, in place of de Venecia,
congressman from Pangasinan.
Nograles is a ranking leader of the
administration Lakas-CMD. The Lakas party said it would only consent
to the removal of de Venecia if another Lakas member would be
installed.
Escudero, for his part, agreed that Mindanao
deserves its share in national leadership.
“It will be an honor for Mindanao if Nograles
becomes speaker,” Escudero, former House minority leader, told the
Mindanao Insider. “He will be the first from Mindanao to hold the
position.”
Escudero declined from commenting further,
citing courtesy to the Lower House.
Congressman Gico Dayanghirang of Davao Oriental,
in a separate talk with the Mindanao Insider, said the southern bloc
would tackle de Venecia’s fate in its weekend gathering. He
admitted that most congressmen were troubled by de Venecia’s
soured relations with the Palace following a fallout with President
Arroyo’s family since the national broadband project controversy
middle of last year.
The Mindanao bloc would also want to hear from
Nograles the details of his agenda if he becomes speaker.
Early this week, Davao City Third District Rep.
Isidro Ungab said that the Mindanao bloc would be solid if the
interest of the south would be at stake. Davao del Sur Rep. Mark
Cagas also aired the same stand.
Muslim leaders in the House of Representatives
gave their voices to the growing clamor to install Nograles as
speaker.
“It’s time that someone from Mindanao is
elevated to the top level of national government,” said Sulu Rep.
Munir Arbison and Anak Mindanao Party List Rep. Mujiv Hataman.
Nograles has not been making public statements
on the race for the speaker’s post, citing his close ties with de
Venecia.
-- Fort Nicolas
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