VISAYAN members of Congress and top officials of the political party Kampi are pushing for former governor Pablo Garcia to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives, according to lawyer Martin Romualdez, congressman-elect from Leyte.
Romualdez, in a telephone interview with Sun.Star, said he believes Garcia will bring a “positive change” to a Congress that the public no longer trusts.
He said that Kampi president Luis Villafuerte is spearheading the campaign for Garcia to “seriously” challenge Jose de Venecia’s bid for a fifth term as speaker.
“I believe that the House of Representatives not only has to boost its image. There are over 70 new congressmen and we feel that the new breed, the new blood would all like to see some change. It bodes well not only for the House but for the country as well,” said Romualdez.
The 14th Congress will convene on July 23, after which members will choose from among them the next speaker.
One century
Garcia, who refused to discuss the matter when called yesterday, will have less than two months to campaign if he does agree to the plan.
The last time a Cebuano held the position of House Speaker was 100 years ago, when Sergio Osmeña Sr. became one.
Romualdez said he already spoke to eight congressmen from Eastern Visayas who agreed to join the “movement for leadership change” in Congress. He will be meeting this week with the rest to consolidate their group for Eastern, Central and Western Visayas.
He added that they would not find it difficult to get the support not only of the Visayans but also the congressmen from Mindanao.
“Everyone wants improvement in the House. Many of us neophytes will feel good to have the intellect, experience and wisdom of someone with the stature of Garcia. I’m a lawyer and I highly respect him just as he is well respected across other regions and we need his guidance, some sort of adult supervision, so to speak. He is one of a kind, and without putting down Speaker de Venecia, he is not a lawyer despite his experience,” said Romualdez.
‘Chamber change’
Romualdez also pointed out the perception that de Venecia would want to remain as speaker and lead a change in the Constitution so he will become the first prime minister, while Garcia “is not known to have this ambition despite being an elder statesman.”
In a press statement, Villafuerte also said that “the immediate and urgent clamor at this time is chamber change, and not charter change.”
With Garcia at the helm of the Lower House, Villafuerte said, “institutional reforms” can be pushed.
Villafuerte added that from one-on-one meetings and through telephone calls, there are already 41 Kampi congressmen-members who will support Garcia. A recent caucus from Kampi also showed the same sentiment, with congressmen from Palawan, Bicol, Occidental Mindoro, Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Aklan, he added.
“Reform-seeking lawmakers have begun to come out of their shell, so to speak. It is definite that the clamor for reforms will be growing and will intensify before the opening of Congress in July. There will be more surprises by next week and we hope to win,” said Villafuerte.
If the group makes it against the machinery of de Venecia, they will move for the establishment of “a fair and equitable allocation of chairmanship and membership of congressional committees; the formation of guidelines in the management of bills and resolutions in the committee and plenary sessions for an efficient movement of the legislative mill; and the establishment of modus vivendi with the Senate to secure passage of prioritized bills both for local and national application.”
‘Disincentives’
They will also work for a “mechanism with the opposition” to ensure the reenactment of bills that were approved in the previous Congress but which were not yet acted upon by the Senate. Another item on their agenda: incentives for those with outstanding attendance records and “disincentives for absentees.”
Whoever challenges de Venecia is in for a challenge.
In a statement last Thursday carried on Congress’ website, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) confirmed its continued alliance with Lakas-CMD and announced its choice of de Venecia for speaker.
“The NPC chairman, former Rep. Frisco San Juan, and secretary general, Rep. Jack Duavit, declared that the party, which won 30 congressional seats in the May 14 elections, reached a consensus to support de Venecia, who is assured of an unprecedented fifth term as speaker,” that statement added.
De Venecia reportedly said he’ll begin his campaign for the speakership only after the proclamation of senators and the completion of the congressional contests. (JPM)
