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Thursday, October 30, 2003
Mongaya: Crack the whip
By Anol Mongaya
The delaying tactics of anti-impeachment solons on the case of Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. will only succeed if supported and approved by House leaders and even President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. I think the President, who has expressed support for the embattled Chief Justice, should impose party discipline.
Business tycoon Danding Cojuangco's Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) has less than 50 members in the House. Most of those from other parties that supported Davide's impeachment were from Lakas. If President Arroyo cracks the whip, I am sure Lakas congressmen will withdraw their signatures from the impeachment complaint.
Concerned Lakas congressmen can always say they believed in the impeachment cause but are also good party soldiers. How's that for face saving?
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I thought President Arroyo would just stay in the sidelines. I am glad she did not and instead publicly sided with Davide. She might be guilty of having done little to prevent Davide's impeachment. But her making known her stand now is crucial in defeating the move.
Had she stayed neutral, former education chief Raul Roco would have been given a big boost in terms of media mileage and popularity because of his participation in anti-impeachment protests. Thus during the initial salvo of the protest movement in Cebu City last Monday, Roco had to share the limelight with Arroyo's daughter Luli.
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The adjournment of the session in the House should give the anti-impeachment forces enough time to persuade the pro-impeachment congressmen to change their minds. While efforts are exerted to reach out to each congressman, the street protest will also be given enough time to snowball.
In Cebu, pressure is building up on Reps. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz and Ace Durano for them to withdraw their signatures. The latest to join the call is Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.
But public censure won't be much of a problem in the 5th district. I am sure voters in the Duranos' bailiwick will go for Ace. That's if the whole family will support him. But what if the Duranos will be divided come 2004? In the 6th district, however, the situation is different. There, Ruiz is very vulnerable.
According to Rep. Tony Cuenco, 10 congressmen have decided to withdraw their signatures. But the anti-impeachment website http://rpweb.ph/davide. htm lists six congressmen who changed their minds. Rep. Raul del Mar's anti-impeachment speech is also prominently displayed in the website. Let's hope that by Nov. 10, the number of pro-impeachment congressmen will already be less than 76.
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A source in the opposition camp said several leaders don't think Fernando Poe Jr. should run for president. The opposition also has not agreed yet on how to select a common standard-bearer. But I was told FPJ will run even as an independent.
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Senate wannabes are now holding activities to boost their ratings in the surveys. The surveys are crucial to their eventual inclusion in the senatorial slates of the various political parties. The administration party, for example, has reportedly considered for its official slate five candidates, like actor Bong Revilla. The others are jockeying for the last seven slots.
Some readers asked me about those radio commercials and newspaper advertisements that mentioned nothing but the word "Obet." Though I was told that a businessman booked the "Obet" ads to promote a brand of candy, I could not shake off the notion this is part of the publicity efforts of Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto "Obet" Pagdanganan. In fairness to Pagdanganan, however, his local handlers also expressed surprise and were amused by the ads when I inquired.
Pagdanganan, who is a champion of cooperativism, is one guy the Senate needs. However, he suffers from his lack of popularity. That is why he could hardly land in the Magic 12 in the last Senate race. Perhaps, he should consider guesting in popular television shows like "Game Ka Na Ba."
(Send your reaction to Superbalita @sunstar.com.ph o anol_cebu@ hotmail.com o text to 09179761193)
(October 30, 2003 issue)
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