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Monday, February 04, 2008
Admin parties to discuss House speakership row
MANILA -- The fate of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. hinges on a caucus and a possible straw voting Monday morning among leaders of the administration coalition.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the meeting would be held at 10 a.m. Monday in Malacañang and would include four leaders each from Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), Nationalist People's Coalition, Liberal Party, Nacionalista Party, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Laban), Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP), and party-list representatives.
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Bunye said the caucus would tackle the resolution of the speakership row and "one possible way is a matter of straw voting."
Asked if there is another possibility of solving the leadership problem in the House of Representatives, he said: "There will be no more talks and they will just go ahead with whatever they are planning."
He said the caucus was proposed by Iloilo Representative Art Defensor and was echoed by Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong during the meeting at the Bahay Pangarap in Malacañang.
He said the caucus is meant to solve the row on the speakership "as amicably as possible" prior to the 4 p.m. session of the House of Representatives.
Bunye said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did not attend the golf game because she had to attend a mass and that she already informed former President Fidel Ramos about it Saturday night.
He said Arroyo's absence at the golf game does not indicate anything. "There's no meaning to that. Let's not read too much into it," he said.
He said Arroyo came in for the luncheon meeting at 12:15 p.m. and ended it at 3 p.m.
He said the President listened to the sentiments of those present during the meeting and is of the opinion that the leadership row should be resolved soon.
Among those who attended the meeting at the Bahay Pangarap were Ramos, de Venecia, Lakas secretary general Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Datumanong, Defensor, Quezon City Representative Matthias Defensor, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Bunye, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap) chairman Ramon Guico Jr., and Lakas vice president for Luzon Heherson Alvarez Jr.
Bunye said lunch was mostly Filipino food like okra and vegetables with bagoong, pancit, and chicken tinola.
Camarines Sur Representative Luis Villafuerte, one of those who pushed for the ouster of de Venecia, meantime said the 15-year reign in power of the Speaker is expected to end any day this week in a lopsided plenary battle in favor of Davao City Representative Prospero Nograles.
"This is a groundswell from the bottom," said Villafuerte, stressing that President Arroyo's silence on the issue is a go-signal for de Venecia's removal.
Nueva Ecija Representative Edno Joson, an independent, said the President's silence is a "death knell" for de Venecia's leadership.
"Without the endorsement of the President as chairperson of the party Lakas, JDV (de Venecia) is a goner," he said, noting that the President's silence is obviously part of the orchestrated plan to remove de Venecia.
The anti-de Venecia faction led by Villafuerte and Presidential son and Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo have reportedly exceeded the required 121 signatories to oust de Venecia.
Aside from at least 56 Kampi members, majority of the 100-man Lakas-CMD has also reportedly signed the manifesto of withdrawal of support along with the 21 members of the Liberal Party and 15 from the Nacionalista Party.
The pro-Nograles faction also includes at least half of the members of the party-list bloc, according to Villafuerte.
The President's congressman-allies initiated efforts to remove de Venecia last September following the Speaker's son Joey's accusation that First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo stood to benefit from the anomalous US$329 million national broadband network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp.
Joey is co-owner of Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI), a company that offered to carry out the project at a lower cost. (JMR/WV/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (February 4, 2008 issue)
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