House minority won’t join speakership brawl

 

The opposition block in the House of Representatives will not join the scuffle for the speakership, House Senior Minority Leader Roilo Golez said Monday.

“We would be neutral,” Golez told ABS-CBN News Channel.

Golez said the decision to maintain the minority’s neutrality in the House’s power struggle issue was made during a meeting among opposition members at former president Joseph Estrada’s residence at Polk Street in Greenhills, San Juan Sunday.

He said at least two or three congressmen, including Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, had announced their support for Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, who is being pushed to replace Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

He said majority of the minority bloc members decided not to step into the House speakership brawl because of an existing House rule that says a member who voted for a winning candidate in the speakership would have to become a majority bloc member.

“Under the rules, if you vote for someone for the speakership [and the candidate wins], you will be considered belonging to the majority,” he said.

Golez said that another decision arrived at during the meeting was to welcome de Venecia to the opposition if he fails to keep the speakership.

“In the event [de Venecia] would want to join the opposition, he is most welcome,” he said.

Meanwhile, media people were still waiting for the leaders of the administration block members to emerge from a caucus at the Malacañang compound, which started past 10 a.m. Monday.

President Arroyo called for a meeting of the party coalition leaders at Malacañang to “amicably” end the House power struggle.

Reports said de Venecia and Nograles attended the meeting.

Before attending the meeting, de Venecia Jr. revealed rumors that congressmen are being offered P500,000 to P1 million each to back a move to remove him as speaker.

“[Manila 6th District Rep.] Bienvenido Abante said there are rumors that P500,000 to P1 million are being given away to congressman. Hindi ko alam personally pero iyon ang sabi ni Benny Abante (I don’t know it personally, but that is what Benny Abante is saying),” de Venecia told ABS-CBN’s morning show, “Umagang Kay Ganda.”

De Venecia warned President Arroyo’s sons, Camarines Sur 1st District Rep. Diosdado Macapagal and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, against using “government resources” to avoid “another explosion of a financial scandal” in the House.

The speaker said the two presidential sons are backing the ouster move after his own son, businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, linked the First Family to irregularities in the scrapped $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal.

The younger de Venecia earlier said First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo acted as “godfather” in the deal after allegedly being promised $70 million if the deal pushed through.

“We should be fully transparent and that we should avoid what bishop Benny Abante is warning against [that] we have another explosion of a financial scandal. I am hopeful that Boy Nograles and the President’s children will stay by the rules,” de Venecia said.

Asked if he has knowledge of other irregularities committed by the Arroyo administration, de Venecia said “all of these will be considered.”

“We are very mature. We are statesmen or at least we try our best to be, but we are also God’s children. I am the strongest proponent of the moral revolution to stop corruption,” he added.

Abante earlier admitted receiving P500,000 cash at the height of rumors that over a hundred administration congressmen received cash gifts after attending a meeting with Mrs. Arroyo inside the Malacañang compound last October.

Occidental Mindoro Rep. Ma. Amelita Villarosa, House deputy speaker, of Mrs. Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), admitted giving Abante the amount, but denied that it was meant as a bribe. Villarosa said the money came from KAMPI’s party fund and part of the party’s initiatives to give congressmen cash during trips abroad.

Reference: www.abs-cbnnews.com