Thursday, November 01, 2007 Lakas congressmen may back ouster move v. Speaker: Nograles
FOR the sake of political survival, some congressman-members of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) may support the reported plot to oust Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. following his rift with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a lawmaker said.
Davao City Representative Prospero Nograles, a Lakas member who is being eyed to replace de Venecia, believed that political survival is very important to each and every politician.
"In case party members have tangled, at the end of the day, every lawmaker would have to decide where he would go on the basis of political survival," said Nograles.
However, Nograles was quick to say that there was no move to topple the Speaker.
"We are avoiding this situation (moves to unseat de Venecia) at all cost," he said.
He said only time will heal the damage that has been done between the President and de Venecia over the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal.
Asked to comment if he is interested and would accept the Speaker post if backed up by the Palace, Nograles said he would be a hypocrite if he says no.
"Any congressman who tells you he does not want to be House Speaker, even only in his dreams, will be a hypocrite," he said.
On the issue of the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo filed by lawyer Roel Pulido and endorsed by Laguna Representative Edgar San Luis, Nograles said it would not prosper.
"It does not have a Chinaman's chance of getting the required signatures. That is my forecast," he said.
He said there is an opposition plan to file an amended impeachment complaint when Congress resumes session on November 5 and there are many legal technicalities and questions that may be raised, which could reach the Supreme Court, in case it is amended.
De Venecia is in for a major showdown when Congress resumes next week as forces loyal to President Arroyo are expected to push with his ouster, displeased with the way he has been running the chamber.
Some Lakas-CMD members and others from the majority coalition like the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), Liberal Party (LP) and Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) have already manifested their desire to replace the Speaker.
Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez of LP said the "clearest proof" that de Venecia may be unseated was when about 190 congressmen went to the Palace to have breakfast with the President last October 11.
De Venecia's son, Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, implicated during a recent Senate hearing First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo in the anomalous NBN deal. Joey claimed that it was the First Gentleman who asked him to "back off" from the deal.
Suarez, like Nograles, said they would most likely support the President when "push becomes a shove" and forced them to choose between her and the Speaker. (Sunnex)
