Sunday, June 24, 2007 Kampi to meet in Cebu July 5
MEMBERS of President Arroyo’s party Kampi are meeting in Cebu on July 5, as part of attempts to decide whom to support for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Congressman-elect Pablo Garcia (Cebu Province, 2nd district) is hoping to get the solid support of Kampi lawmakers, whose backing he considers a “critical mark” in the numbers game.
At least 50 members of Kampi won congressional seats in the May 14 elections. When they met in Manila last Thursday, a call for the party’s solidarity on the Speakership issue surfaced.
In attendance were Kampi president Luis Villafuerte, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, his brother Iggy Arroyo and presidential son Dato Arroyo, with at least 38 other party members.
Garcia said this will be a “golden opportunity” for Kampi, the second largest party after Lakas, to show that they are united. Like Kampi, however, Lakas is allied with President Arroyo.
“If we want to survive as a party, we have to unite and form a solid front,” Garcia told his Kampi partymates.
He also admitted that right now, there are Kampi lawmakers who are with House Speaker Jose de Venecia as the latter seeks a fifth term.
But if de Venecia indeed has the numbers to guarantee he will win again as Speaker, he would have gone on vacation instead of “campaigning very hard” now, added Garcia.
De Venecia recently denied the former Cebu governor’s claim that he (Garcia) was offered influential positions in the House if he backs out of the race.
Garcia also admitted that he is still hoping all eight House delegates from Cebu will support him.
“Malaumon gihapon ako nga magpatigbabaw ang ilang pagka-Cebuano. There are things that change pero ang imong pagka-Sugbuanon, dili gyud kana mausab (I’m hoping their being Cebuanos will prevail),” Garcia said.
Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north) has said he already committed to support de Venecia, while Rep. Red Durano (Cebu Province, 5th district) will take his cue from the Nationalist People’s Coalition, where he belongs.
Garcia also appealed to legislators from the Visayas and Mindanao, saying the fight for the Speakership is not for him alone but for the south.
He cited an imbalance of power in the National Government, given that the President, vice president, de Venecia and even the chief justice are all from the north. (MBG)
