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Monday, March 10, 2008
Nograles to replace de Venecia as Lakas president
MANILA -- House Speaker Prospero Nograles will assume the leadership of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) during the party's national directorate meeting Monday at the Manila Hotel.
Nograles will be taking over the post of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. when the party elects a new set of officers.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
A statement issued by the party on Sunday afternoon entitled "Nograles all set to take over as Lakas president today (Monday)," confirmed earlier reports that de Venecia would be replaced following last Friday's meeting in Makati attended by party bigwigs including Lakas chairman emeritus and former president Fidel Ramos.
The move was seen as part of a compromise formula hammered out during the Makati meeting in which de Venecia reportedly agreed to step down but rejected calls for him to stop attacking President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The party spokesperson, Parañaque Representative Eduardo Zialcita, said it is high time for Nograles to assume the post saying Lakas needs a "spirited leadership to manage the intense party build-up campaign."
He said the assumption of Nograles would be formalized during the directorate meeting in which two new positions of chairman emeritus will be created.
"Two new positions, which are not specified in the party's constitution and bylaws, will be created to formalize the appointment of the two officials who will be named to these positions, namely, former president Ramos as chairman emeritus and Congressman de Venecia as president emeritus," said Zialcita.
Earlier reports said the Pangasinan lawmaker was offered the post of Lakas president emeritus as part of the compromise formula hammered by the executive committee headed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.
De Venecia was quoted as saying he would not accept the proposal stressing he would rather be the "party conscience" instead of being a subservient president.
He said he would recommend Nograles or Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte to the post.
But he also challenged President Arroyo to also resign as chairperson of the party and of the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi).
In an interview at his house in Pangasinan Sunday, the former Speaker said he is weighing three options such as boycotting the meeting, accepting the offer for him to be Lakas president emeritus, or becoming an ordinary member of the party.
"Under the rules, I will preside over the national directorate meeting because I am still president of the party. I would decide on what to do on Monday. I will confer with our leaders and principal allies Representatives Victor Agbayani and Mark Cojuangco (of the second and fifth districts of Pangasinan, respectively)," he said.
Aside from the Lakas presidency, all other positions in the party will be declared vacant and a new set of officers will be elected.
Zialcita said President Arroyo has been invited as guest of honor and speaker during the meeting.
If de Venecia attends the party caucus it will be the first time he will cross paths with the President since he was ousted from his post last month, a move he blamed on First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and the First Couple's two congressman-sons, Mikey (Pampanga) and Dato (Camarines Sur).
Once close allies, de Venecia broke ties with Arroyo and started attacking her after his ouster. He said the move to oust him stemmed from the disclosure of his son and namesake, Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, of alleged overpricing and bribery in the US$329 million national broadband network (NBN) contract with China's ZTE Corporation.
The younger de Venecia has linked the First Gentleman and several high-ranking government officials to the botched contract.
According to Zialcita, the gathering, which would be attended by about 200 members of Lakas national directorate, would also discuss the "creation of a special committee that will meet and negotiate with the leaders of Kampi to discuss the planned merger between the two parties."
Earlier, Ramos said the merger is all set to proceed as leaders of both parties have already expressed support for such a plan.
Also to be discussed would be the creation of another committee that will help draft the criteria to be used in the selection of the party's standard bearers in the scheduled 2010 presidential elections.
Several names have cropped up as possible standard-bearer of the administration's coalition including Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando and Belmonte.
Fernando has already expressed his readiness to run in the 2010 presidential elections.
Formed in late 1991 when Ramos, then retired defense secretary, organized the Partido Lakas TAO, several regional political parties and people and labor organizations served as its nucleus.
In early 1992, a group of 33 congressmen supporting the presidential bid of Ramos also organized themselves into the Lakas-Edsa which at the time was led by de Venecia Jr. and former congressman Komong Sumulong.
The party has produced two presidents (Ramos and Arroyo) and currently boasts of about 80 congressmen in the House of Representatives, three senators, 55 provincial governors, 45 city mayors, and 1,200 municipal mayors making it the largest political institution in the country today. (AH/LCMY/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (March 10, 2008 issue)
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