For his son’s sin, Speaker is ousted

MANILA For allowing his son to expose a controversial overpriced $329-million broadband deal in which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo were allegedly involved, Speaker Jose de Venecia was ousted Feb. 4 by congressmen led by two of the Presidents congressmen sons. (more stories inside).Let those who would dare cross Arroyo learn a lesson from this ouster, said an opposition leader. De Venecia, in his valedictory, vowed to expose irregularities in the Arroyo administration, including her controversial election in 2004.

Businessman Joey de Venecia, son of the speaker who exposed the NBN deal, said Arroyos sons – Pampanga Rep. Mickey Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo – allegedly bribed reluctant congressmen to vote for his fathers ouster.

The Speakers unprecedented five terms as Speaker came to an end as Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles.
The business community reacted with alarm over this political development which they feared would damage the countrys reputation further. Media editorials roundly criticized what they termed as a blatant power grab.

Needing only 121 votes to officially unseat the beleaguered Speaker, the ax fell when Rep. Katrina Ponce Enrile, daughter of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, cast a yes vote late in the evening. Early in the morning of Feb. 5, a total of 174 voted to oust the speaker while 35 voted against and 16 abstained.

Reports of De Venecias ouster started late last year after his son, Joey, exposed the overpriced contract for the NBN broadband system with a Chinese firm. The speaker claimed that after the expose by his son, three generals had threatened to kill him and his son.

The pro-Malacaang lawmakers went for the kill despite a consensus among leaders of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and other member-parties in the administration coalition to give the protagonists 24 hours to agree on a smooth turnover.

The House declared the speakership vacant and paved the way for Nograles to assume the post.
De Venecia accused Arroyo of masterminding his ouster and declared that she is behind most of the controversies that rocked the country including political killings and high-level corruption.
De Venecia made the allegations in an emotional and well applauded speech that dragged on for almost an hour from the 10 minutes that he had been allowed to deliver it. The House voted on a motion by Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra to declare the position of Speaker vacant.

De Venecia said in his speech that the President herself, through her sons Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo and partymates in the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino, initiated his ouster as speaker.

De Venecia bitterly recited the things that he had done during the times that Arroyo was faced with coup attempts, impeachments, threats to her proclamation as president because of the Hello Garci election anomalies.

In his valedictory, De Venecia also bared an alleged slay plot against him and his son Joey III by three generals. When my son spoke in the Senate, three generals tried to assassinate him and assassinate me, De Venecia said, referring to Joeys expose against First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former elections chief Benjamin Abalos in the aborted broadband network project of the government. His son was the acknowledged whistle-blower in the NBN scandal.

De Venecia said that three military generals visited his house accompanied by lawyer Raul Lambino.
General Santos, commanding general of the Philippine Army, commander of the United Nations Forces in East Timor, came to my house accompanied by Attorney Raul Lambino, who is his friend, and who is also my friend, and he said, Mr. Speaker you and your son (should) keep quiet because they want to kill you and I know they can kill you and I know they have killed other people,” De Venecia said.

He said he sent a letter to Mrs. Arroyo reporting the incident and asking her to please do something. His son, for his part, reported the matter to the Makati police.

General Santos later changed his tune after his name was mentioned by his son to the police.
De Venecia said he wrote a letter to Arroyo informing her of Gen. Santos warning. But he said Malacanang did not even lift a finger to arrest or investigate the generals mentioned by Santos.

Its simple arrogance. Just plain arrogance that Malacanang and the people of the Palace are above the law. Someday this can happen to you,” he said.

Since last year, the President went through the motion of continued support to De Venecia but have not done anything to stop her sons from proceeding with their conspiracy to unseat the speaker. Former President Fidel V. Ramos had also asked Arroyo to support the embattled speaker, but to no avail.

De Venecia said he is ready to join the opposition in its battle against corruption.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said De Venecias allegation were emotional outburst and grandstanding.

The matter is purely a concern of the House of Representatives. We respect the decision of the members of the majority coalition and leave it to their better judgment,” ABS-CBN News quoted her as saying.

Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia earlier tried to stop De Venecia from delivering a speech. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casino said De Venecia had the right to give a speech. Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin and Shariff Kabunsuan Rep. Didagen Dilangalen also backed De Venecias right to speak.

Before the vote, administration solons held more than four hours of meeting in Malacanang.
The meeting that included De Venecia and Nograles, presided by President Arroyo, began at around 10:30 a.m. and ended at around 1:30 p.m. Leaders and members of the ruling coalition – Lakas-CMD, Kampi, Liberal Party (LP), Nationalist Peoples Coalition, (NPC) Nacionalista Party (NP), Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, and the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino attended the meeting held at the Malacaang golf club house.
Mrs. Arroyos party the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi initiated the manifesto whose signatories include presidential sons Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo.

Among those present were Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, representing Kampi, Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Paraaque Rep. Ed Zialcita, Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, representing LP, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez for NP and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro representing NPC.

The meeting began with Mrs. Arroyo, De Venecia, Nograles and Ermita holding a closed-door meeting.
In that meeting, Nograles showed De Venecia the supposed manifesto signed by lawmakers disgruntled with the current House leadership.
He said De Venecia argued that he was elected speaker five times through direct voting on the floor but Nograles countered that other forms of elections are allowed in the chamber.

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