By Emil Jurado
“Will the rooster crow before October 14?”
The debacle at the House of Representatives regarding the Speakership seems to have Biblical elements. I am reminded of how St. Peter, the first vicar of Christians on earth and supposedly the staunchest and most loyal of all apostles, denied the Lord three times before the rooster crowed. The drama unfolding at the House also has a father (Tatay), a fellow named Lord, and a man named Peter who has made public denials.
As early as July 20, 2019, a gentlemen’s agreement was brokered by President Rodrigo Duterte between Reps. Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig and Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque. The deal was called “15-21” because it was agreed that Cayetano would serve as the Speaker for the first 15 months of the 18th Congress, and then Velasco would serve out the remaining 21 months.
Mr. Duterte was not ambiguous. He gave specific dates, and made his intention very clear. Being loyal to their “Tatay,” both lawmakers committed to the deal.
In fact, just last March, Cayetano made a public vow that he would step down this month, as agreed upon. And then soon afterward, the whole country was plunged into turmoil brought by COVID-19.
And then, last September 29, President Duterte made it clear that this matter was of the utmost importance to him. He called a meeting with a contingent from the House, before also having a meeting with the gentlemen Cayetano and Velasco.
In that meeting, the President once again urged them to respect the term-sharing agreement he had brokered the year before. Both Cayetano and Velasco brought a handful of allies with them.
Ironically, in an interview aired on television, Cayetano said: “Sir, we will follow you. If you want me to resign, I will resign. I will resign any day.” This was uttered in response to the President’s reminder to the two lawmakers.
The very next day, Cayetano took to the floor to bare the details of his and Velasco’s private meeting with the President. Santa Banana, rather than taking that time to urge his colleagues to work together to ensure a smooth transition, Cayetano spent the next 40 minutes talking about how he wanted his term extended to his birthday, and then to December, and then to whatever unspecified date in the future so that he could oversee the passage of the 2021 budget!
Like an actor, Cayetano even offered to resign right then and there, saying that his fate, and that of the budget and the House leadership, are in the hands of his colleagues. This, of course, was pure drama, because the date October 14 had already been agreed upon. Nobody expected an immediate resignation, but that one sure sounded like a scene from a teleserye.
To complete the zarzuela, Cayetano’s ally Rep. Mike Defensor suddenly put the floor to a vote to immediately reject this offer of resignation.
Didn’t they realize that their tawdry attempt at politicking only showed the colors of the 184 representatives supporting Cayetano? Did he not believe that voting was in fact meaningless? The President was very clear about October 14.
This proved to be the second denial. If there was one thing that the sham achieved, it was to expose who was really loyal to the President, and who was simply there for the budget allocation.
Worse, following the vote, the budget deliberations ground to a halt. Nobody went to work after that frivolous motion!
Needless to say, the budget is a pressing matter that requires careful consideration from all parties, especially given the current pandemic.
Interestingly, the House received a P14 billion budget for itself under the Speakership of Cayetano. This is about P750 million per representative. This fueled speculation that he would increase this further in order to gain allies.
According to insiders, the third denial involves outright rebellion against a continued Duterte leadership and in particular, one that is supportive to the President’s daughter, Davao Mayor Inday Sara Duterte. It is public knowledge that Inday Sara and Cayetano are at odds with one another. So, Cayetano has allegedly decided that now is the best time for a power grab. After all, the Cayetanos are known experts in establishing political dynasties.
Santa Banana, will the rooster finally crow on October 14? Only time will tell. In the Bible, Jesus knew all along that Peter would deny him. He had full knowledge of the denials. The current Speaker may be surprised to know that the same is true in his case. All his actions have been foreseen for months.
Come October 14, a showdown between Cayetano and Velasco is foreseen, when the camp of Velasco will force the resignation of Cayetano as agreed. The Velasco camp is predicting that it already has the support of the super-majority coalition.
The drama at the House does not seem to end!
* * *
With the COVID-19 pandemic yet upon us, the Christmas season will be dry. The old ways in which we used to celebrate the holidays—going to simbang gabi, visiting ninongs and ninangs, having reunions with relatives and friends—will not happen this year.
It will be the saddest for children who cannot go out to buy their toys.
My wife and I went through World War II, but it was never like this. What an abnormal Christmas this is going to be!
- Source Manila Standard october 07, 2020