De Venecia Out, Nograles In and the GMA Factor

In an unprecedented overnight session at the House of Representatives, February 4 the ruling party Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) and his own LAKAS-CMD had ousted the five-termer Speaker of the House, Jose de Venecia via a large margin favoring his ouster.

The chamber at the same time at around 12 midnight elected Representative Prospero Nograles of Davao as the new Speaker of the House replacing De Venecia. It was a showdown of loyalty and a show of how the Philippine political situation had evolved from a chamber of trust and prominence to a chamber of favors and personal ambitions.

The coup as we may call it was said to be initiated by President Macapagl Arroyo's two sons, Dato Arroyo and Mikey Arroyo saying that De Venecia had viewed the House of Representatives as his own kingdom. This remark was given after the former speaker bombarded the president with allegations of corruption and vote rigging in the 2004 elections.

In closing the end of his stint as speaker, De Venecia was caught saying that he will now be joining the political opposition. This only shows that in politics there is no permanent allies of foes.