THE senatorial candidates of Liberal Party (LP) once again cast caution on possibility of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Muntinlupa City Representative Ruffy Biazon and Neric Acosta warned of an “Arroyo reign of corruption" and admitted that there is a big possibility that President Arroyo could get the House leadership.
“She (Arroyo) definitely has a lot of loyalists seeking reelection with the administration party. It would seem all the pieces are there for her to control a major bloc in the lower chamber,” Biazon said.
Biazon earlier warned that LP standard bearer Senator Noynoy Aquino could be a lame duck president if he wins because recent survey shows that more numbers of senatorial and congressional bets of other parties have a greater chance of winning.
Aquino's campaign has been centered on lambasting the current administration.
The presidential frontrunner also announced earlier that he intends to set up a commission that will study President Arroyo's alleged corruption activities, including the botched NBN-ZTE deal and the fertilizer scam.
Biazon added that the scenario make the senatorial race crucial.
“When Senator Noy Aquino wins as President, he will need to have allies in the upper house to nullify the Arroyo stronghold in the lower chamber. An Aquino presidency must be protected, and a strong support from the senate can give him that,” he said.
Aquino said in a Valenzuela sortie Friday that only a presidency by closest rival Senator Manny Villar can allow an Arroyo Speakership.
When asked if Arroyo can be speaker under a Villar presidency, he said: “That might be possible.”
Aquino explained that since the Edsa 1 revolution, all Speakers have been allied with the administration.
Arroyo is running as representative of the 2nd district of Pampanga and a Lakas-Kampi-CMD leader has said that she has the numbers to be able to win election as House speaker.
If all of the more or less 159 members of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD win election, she will have more than the 135 votes needed to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Acosta, for his part, said that an Aquino administration will make sure that such a scenario will not happen.
“Manny Villar has, for all intents and purposes, steered clear of any matter regarding PGMA’s accountability for her legacy of corruption. Only in an Aquino presidency can we put an end to this cycle of corruption in our government.”
LP vice presidential bet Mar Roxas coined the term “Villaroyo” and the LP has since been accusing Villar of having an alliance with President Arroyo.
But Villar has denied the accusation. (Angela Casauay/Sunnex)