Friday, September 21, 2007 Editorials: Brewing political storm
THERE are indications that this republic is again headed for stormy political weather.
And so, in the next weeks or months, we can kiss goodbye the idea of Congress tackling problems for the good of the nation.
It is awkward for the people to expect, or demand, from lawmakers what the country expects them to when they are not in a position to do so.
Stormy weather
Government’s $329-million contract for the National Broadband Network project that ZTE Corp., a Chinese firm, won has sparked the brewing political controversy, drawing in even the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.
He was identified by businessman Jose de Venecia III as the “Mystery Man” in the controversial deal.
With the “whistle blower” being the son of a close ally of President Arroyo, the formula for stormy weather in Congress is in place.
The revelation has opened a breach in the close and warm relations between the President and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.
Reactions
While leaders of the administration coalition have assured that everything is all right in their political relationship, in the House of Representatives the speaker’s allies “moved quickly to avert a House ‘shake-up’ that might lead” to the speaker losing his post.
Meanwhile, the 40 lawmakers supporting Rep. Pablo Garcia, called the Garcia bloc, has called on the speaker to go on leave.
Garcia said that is the best JDV can do “so that he will not be accused of interfering or influencing the investigation.”
The president of Kampi party, who was also Garcia’s chief campaigner when the Cebuano solon vied for the post of speaker, said JDV should answer a lot of questions about his son.
Likewise in the Senate, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago took the cudgel for the President against the young de Venecia.
Calling him a mere “stool pigeon out to topple the administration,” Santiago said: He is not a mere disgruntled bidder. The mere fact that this is so highly publicized and that the angle has always been on who is the most corrupt in the Arroyo administration (means that) a lot of money has been spent for this.
Collateral damage
The political crossfire has begun.
And although it is still difficult to see the end of the tunnel, one thing is certain: the nation’s poverty alleviation program and other needed services will suffer in the process.
