WAR!

Joe de Venecia broadsided the President and her sons in what was obviously an attempt to frame the impending oust-JDV vote as a battle between the forces of corruption and the forces of righteousness. He charged:

• That First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was behind attempts to charge him for corruption and to replace him as Speaker, after De Venecia’s son exposed Mr. Arroyo’s links to a Chinese firm that tried to overprice a government contract by US$200 million.     That the President’s congressman sons, Juan Miguel of Pampanga and Diosdado of Camarines Sur, have been hoarding the congressmen’s pork barrel and dispensing them like dole outs. Congressmen “have to beg Malacañang” and “go through her sons” to get their just share of public works funds.
• That Malacañang ignored his letter to investigate the three generals who were said to be planning to assassinate him and his son Joey after the latter’s exposé on Mr. Arroyo and ZTE Corporation of China. “Simple, plain arrogance,” he said.
• That the Palace, in effect, rigged the bidding for the privatization of the Transmission Corporation so the contract would go to “somebody very close to the Arroyos.”
• That “there were many attempts to tamper with the results of the 2004 elections,” where President Arroyo emerged the winner.
• That ports operator Enrique “Ricky” Razon, a known close ally of the President and funder of her choice candidates in past elections, is among those who control the pork barrel of the congressmen and the release of their shares in the road users’ tax.

And the strategy worked. Now everyone who votes YES looks like a ravening piglet dying for a chance to get at the sow’s teat.

But I imagine JDV had hoped that his revelations and the unflattering light it would cast on YES voters would at least deter some of those piglets. Unfortunately, the revelations don’t seem to have worked that way. As of 10:16, the tally stands at 91-YES (and counting); 21-NO;5-ABSTAIN.

For the most part, those YES votes provide considerable entertainment as one after another, the YES-men go through convoluted, tortuous logic to justify their votes. About the only grievance I’ve heard so far with even a semblance of reasonableness is the accusation that the de Venecia speakership either patronized or virtually ignored young neophyte congressmen. Being young myself, often in the company of older people, I can relate.

On the other hand, the most stupid explanation I’ve heard was for an abstention. The Congressman goes: I am connected to the Speaker in this way or that, to such and such an extent … but I am also connected to the President and her family in so and so way … so therefore, “to avoid ruffling feathers” I abstain.

I was like, WTF?! Last i looked, congressmen were supposed to be elected to represent their constituency’s interests and not to protect their own hides.

Over all, apart from the NO-votes (which because of the circumstances all sounded like exemplars of wisdom, fairness and everything nice), the YES votes were explained lousily, proceeding perhaps from the indefensibility (again arising from the circumstances surrounding this whole debacle, rather than from some intrinsic wrong-ness) of that vote. After several congressmen, you begin to see the general pattern:

(1) I like/respect/admire JDV … (2) I’m related to JDV in this way __________ … (3) But, I have a good reason! …. (4) and so, I’m voting YES.

Sheesh. After two or three explained votes, you’d rather just have them say YES or NO or ABSTAIN. Most of them spout the same reasons anyway, however they vote.

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The most surreal moment came when BongBong Marcos pontificated against corruption in government and voting YES because ‘even though JDV denounced the President, he was still part of the crimes he denounced!’ LOL!

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Filed under: musings, politics, JDV, ouster, speakership