Mike’s boys sharpen knives against Joe - Malaya 10.31.2006

Speaker is sacrificial lamb to woo senators

BY DENNIS GADIL

MALACAÑANG is poised to drop Speaker Jose de Venecia in exchange for the support of senators for a constituent assembly (con-ass) that would amend the Constitution and possibly provide blanket protection for President Arroyo even beyond 2010, a source said yesterday.

The source said the House members close to Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo are now rounding up the votes for Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay as De Venecia’s replacement.

The source said the Palace has received word that anti-con-ass senators would reconsider their position if De Venecia is removed from the picture.

So far, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Edgardo Angara, Manuel "Lito" Lapid and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. from the 23-man Senate are said to be supportive of a con-ass.

De Venecia earlier said the House leadership would shift to "Plan B" or a constituent assembly if the people’s initiative petition would be dismissed by the Supreme Court. The High Court last week voted 8-7 to junk the petition.

De Venecia’s game plan is for the House to convene itself into a constituent assembly even without the participation of the Senate. He is banking on the charter provision which says amendments may be introduced by a three-fourths vote of "all members of Congress."

"They are not comfortable with De Venecia at the forefront of the con-ass campaign because of his ambition to become prime minister," the source, who is close to President Arroyo, said.

The source said Senate leaders were angered by De Venecia’s move to strike out at the last minute Senate President Manuel Villar and Vice President Noli de Castro from the list of public officials who would become automatic members of the transition parliament.

Pichay is said to be Mr. Arroyo’s point man in the House, especially during the two impeachment attempts against President Arroyo.

Pichay is said to command the support of the Mindanao bloc and party-list congressmen. He has his own charter change draft which retains party-list lawmakers as members of the parliament, a provision missing in the De Venecia Cha-cha blueprint.

A close aide of De Venecia confirmed the alleged move to replace him to get the support of senators. This aide was the one who acknowledged that their camp suspected a collusion between Malacañang and the so-called The Firm in undermining the people’s initiative case before the Supreme Court.

The source has said that President Arroyo decided at the last minute to dump the people’s initiative drive of Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and Sigaw ng Bayan for fear of being impeached by the transition parliament that would be controlled by De Venecia.

Under Malacañang’s favored scenario, the President would share power with the prime minister under a parliamentary form of government until 2010 and could opt to run as member of the Parliament after she steps down as president.

PALACE SCAPEGOAT

Senators urged Malacañang and its House allies to heed the advice of Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz to drop plans to tinker with Constitution.

"The administration should not make Nonong Cruz a collateral damage of its charter change defeat," Sen. Ralph Recto said.

"It will be a pity if they will make a scapegoat out of a sage. And what he’s been saying makes sense: that it’s time for the administration to call a tactical retreat on charter change; to change strategy because the last one was flawed; to cut losses so it can fight another day," he added.

Recto said allies of President Arroyo, instead of castigating Cruz, should heed his warning "that going the con-ass way is another ‘kamikaze’ charge that will be shot down by the Supreme Court if the Senate will not go along."

He said Malacañang needs the likes of Cruz "in manning the ramparts of a Palace where good judgment on charter change has gone AWOL" and that if he should be allowed to leave the government, it must be based on his performance as a defense secretary and not his defense of the Constitution.

WASTING TIME

Recto and minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Palace, De Venecia and his congressional allies should also realize that pushing for a constituent assembly without the participation of the Senate is just a waste of time.

They predicted that the Supreme Court, as the final arbiter, would again junk con-ass for being unconstitutional if the Senate would not go along with the House.

They said De Venecia should learn from the lesson of the Supreme Court’s junking of the people’s initiative petition last week that any unconstitutional means of amending the charter would be futile and a sheer waste of effort, time and money.

"De Venecia’s House tempts the fates by planning to start the process of amending the Constitution by its lonesome," Pimentel said.

"Amending the Constitution cannot be done by the House alone as Joe de Venecia wants to do.

To use a much-harassed word, it takes two to tango, meaning that changing the Constitution needs the action of both the House and the Senate," he added.

‘CUT YOUR LOSSES’

He said Malacañang should now abandon its plan to save face. "Iyon nga ang sinasabi ko sa kanila. Cut your losses na. Wala pa silang naipapanalong legal battle sa Supreme Court, if you will recall… Their record is unblemished with victory."

Pimentel said the only way De Venecia’s con-ass proposal will take off the ground is for the Speaker to agree that the Senate and House should separately approve all amendments to the Constitution.

But he said it is now too late to proceed with Charter change because it has been overtaken by preparations for the May 2007 elections.

"Anyway, Joe de Venecia wastes the time of the people by diverting their attention from the more urgent tasks of cleansing the government of crooks and misfits and the crafting of laws that will confront poverty and truly develop the nation," Pimentel said. – With JP Lopez