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By Sammy Martin, Correspondent
Ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. went on
the offensive Friday, calling on the President to resign from the
ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and from the party she
founded, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi).
Malacañang quickly responded, saying President
Gloria Arroyo will not resign from either party.
De Venecia, himself, is being pressed to resign
as president of Lakas, the ruling party coalition, since he has been
speaking against the President after lawmakers at the House last
month voted to remove him as Speaker.
In a recent statement, he was quoted saying Mrs.
Arroyo should step down as President.
It’s better if the President resigns from
Lakas and Kampi, “so she’ll be a non-political President,”
said de Venecia during a radio interview on dzBB. He claims that
many liked his idea that she resign from the parties, and that move
would keep her from interfering in party matters.
The former Speaker was with senior Lakas
officials in a Makati City hotel, where he was asked by his
colleagues to vacate his post in the party. De Venecia founded Lakas
in 1992, when Fidel Ramos used the party as his vehicle to continue
his presidential bid after losing the nomination of Laban ng
Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) to Ramon Mitra.
Parañaque City Rep. Ed Zialcita said de Venecia
has agreed to accommodate senior leaders’ request to step down as
Lakas president.
But de Venecia denied agreeing to that, saying
he has yet to decide if he will accept the offer to be chairman
emeritus or just leave the party. Should de Venecia accept, he will
be the second chairman emeritus, along with former President Ramos.
“I’m thinking about it,” de Venecia said.
“Until Monday, we will make a decision. That is one of the
proposals, which I also consider as a good option.”
On Monday, the Lakas National Directorate is
scheduled to convene and is expected to settle the party-leadership
issue.
Sources said among those being groomed to be
Lakas president are Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr., who was installed
after de Venecia was ousted; former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero
Pichay and Mayor Feliciano Belmonte of Quezon City.
Zialcita said the party leadership has decided
on booting out de Venecia, whose word war with Mrs. Arroyo is
“becoming very personal.”
The split between de Venecia and Mrs. Arroyo
became public after the former Speaker’s son, Jose “Joey” de
Venecia 3rd, linked the President’s husband and a political ally
to alleged anomalies in the $330-million national broadband deal.
The President Arroyo scuttled the project, and her husband and their
ally denied the allegations.
Palace parry
On Friday, Deputy Press Secretary Lorelie
Fajardo said de Venecia did the right thing for the party he helped
found when he said he’s stepping down, adding that “his
resignation is the desire of the many loyal members of the party.”
“As regard to President Arroyo resigning, she
was hailed as chairperson and president by virtue of her being the
highest-elected member of the party, and she will remain as such
until her term expires in 2010,” Fajardo said.
“On Monday, I will no longer be president of
Lakas,” de Venecia was quoted as saying during a press conference
in Makati after a three-hour meeting with Lakas officials.
He reiterated that his removal as Lakas
president and House speaker were a “vendetta” by the President
and her husband, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, who are now both
being linked to the anomalous national broadband network contract.
De Venecia said even some member of the Lakas
executive committee—including Ramos, Mayor Belmonte, and Gabriel
Claudio, formerly presidential assistant for political
affairs—have agreed that the President should resign from her
positions in these political parties so that she could concentrate
on her work.
His partymates said de Venecia “has not asked
for any concession” in exchange for his resignation.
-- With Angelo S. Samonte
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