A Bloody Monday

In the column I wrote for www.thelobbyist.biz last November 27, 2007, I challenged Speaker Joe de Venecia to be the Speaker of the People. Yes, a lot of pundits were one in saying his taking the floor last 4 February 2008 was too late but its what he revealed and what he will continue to reveal that will make or unmake the rebirth of the quintisenntial trapo of Philippine politics.

In my 7 years at the House of Representatives, I had the ringside seat in observing the congressman from the 4th District of Pangasinan. He was your typical back slapping, thumbs up, winking guy who never says no. He will always try to accommodate you but somehow you have this sense or feeling that nothing will come out of it. The trappings of power were all around but the Speaker I knew was an ideas person. He coins words to describe his ideas such as the One Billion Trees Bill, 747 Program for Economic Take-off, Debt-for-Equity, Interfaith Dialogue (when it was not in vogue to do so), of late he had the Debt-for-MDG Investments.

When I started my lobby firm (www.publicusltd.com) in 2003 and handled the medical malpractice initiative (which is now known as the patients' rights), I again met Speaker Joe at his palatial home at Magnolia St., Dasmarinas with the victims and Ms. Korina Sanchez. After a presidential run and recovering from that fall, the Speaker was again in his elements. Sad to say, he was still the Speaker of the past, this time aged by years of politics and pained by the death of his daughter.

So when news came out over the weekend prior to the bloody February 4, I was shocked that the Speaker never planned for a preemptive strike or a counter offensive. I guess with his great political instinct, he knew in his heart that the Speakership is just a single vote and that is whoever holds sway in Malacanang. He knew quite well that it can be taken from him anytime. He knew then, when JDVIII came out, as he knew Monday morning that things will be forced, ready or not.

Its quite telling what Rep.Romualdo (Lone Dist, Camiguin) revealed on the floor about allowing consultations and giving time for Speaker Joe to consult but I guess there are people waiting to put the first knife courtesy of the son of the former Speaker Monching Mitra. When Rep. Baham Mitra declared only the seat of the Speaker vacant, he was clinical and stoic - its payback time. In the words of Sen. Miriam Santiago, "its karma".

In the 14th Congress, there are 240 members. 219 are district members or 91% and 21 sectoral members or 9%. There are 116 neophyte members, 57 on second term and 67 in their last and third term. To unseat the Speaker, one would need 121 votes. Already, there were 143 who signed the manifesto shown to Speaker Joe morning of Monday, 4 February.

So when what was agreed in the morning of Monday was suddenly set aside and when colleagues try to prevent the incumbent Speaker from taking the floor, it was clear that the end was near.

Speaker Jose de Venecia extemporaneously delivered a scathing indictment against President Gloria Arroyo, Mike Arroyo and the First Family. All summed up in two of the areas hampering this administration: corruption and extra judicial killings. If the 4th ranking official in the succession ladder is cowed and shoved like dirt because the First Family need to exact revenge then really our country is going to the dogs. Sobra na. Tama na. There is a third phrase to that but I will stop myself here and just say as one leader said, "you cannot stop the march of history."

Who stood out among the legislators? Rep. Pinol (2nd Dist., North Cotabato) summed it up as the motion to declare the seat of the Speaker vacant "is not about Mindanao." Rep. Jules Ledesma (1st Dist., Negros Occ.) was quoted as saying: "what's wrong? I just don't get it. We remove a Speaker and retain all chairpersons? We blame the Speaker for the sagging image of the House and yet we know its a collective leadership. I really don't get it!" Rep. Ronnie Zamora (Lone Dist., San Juan) on his part asked the most salient questions of the night: "why the Speaker alone? What reforms? (same question expounded by Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez [2nd Dist., Paranaque]) Why should we now participate in this?"

By the end of the voting, 174 voted yes, 35 no and 16 abstained. The missing 15 votes were absent. The writing on the walls are telling. We just might have the tide we are hoping for.