Will JdV do a Chavit?

EDITORIAL

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10/27/2008

Among the former allies who have burned their bridges with Gloria Arroyo, none should know more about Gloria’s many skeletons in the closet than former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

Being longer at the Speakership’s seat than Gloria being the illegitimate president in Malacañang, JdV has become the consummate Palace ally in the House of Representatives.

When Gloria stole the presidency in 2001, JdV was immediately at her good side as he became Gloria’s political shepherd.

Support from Congress is vital for Gloria since she held the presidency outside of the constitutional process, through a power grab supported by the military. Moreover, she ousted a president who should be among the few if not the only candidate in an election who won the presidency overwhelmingly and without any doubt.

During the crucial political junctures in Gloria’s nearly six years of questionable rule until JdV was ousted and was replaced by now Speaker Prospero Nograles in a coup led by the two congressmen sons of Gloria, JdV was the unflinching ally who could be counted on to risk all for Gloria’s political health.

That was until the $329 million attempted national robbery in the so-called National Broadband Network (NBN) deal broke. It was De Venecia’s son and namesake Jose “Joey” de Venecia III who spilled all about the anomaly. Joey tried to initially spare Gloria from being wrapped in the grand heist but it became increasingly clear that he was merely doing his father favor. JdV was then still the Speaker and he was suspected to be also an accomplice in the anomaly.

Eventually, Joey had to drag Gloria and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo into the anomaly, which started the falling out between the Palace and JdV.

With his deep association with Gloria during their better times, JdV would be the best resource person on all the charges carried in the latest attempt to impeach Gloria. The ZTE-NBN mess and the Northrail projects, two instances of plunder or an attempt for it as the word is defined, deeply involved JdV, so the speculation went.

JdV in a press conference to announce his endorsement of the impeachment complaint filed by his son and other Gloria critics, said he would tell all, including what he knows about the ZTE-NBN and the Northrail anomalies.

JdV, however, may have gotten ahead of himself since his testimonies can only be good if Gloria is indeed impeached in the House of Representatives and the allegations against her are transmitted to the Senate for a trial.

Still, JdV may be hiding an ace up his sleeve in being cocksure about testifying against Gloria.

The impeachment efforts against former President Joseph Estrada got rolling after his ally former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Chavit Singson accused him of benefiting from the illegal numbers game jueteng. Singson was being portrayed by the evil civil society as a credible accuser, claiming that he was a beneficiary of the fruits of jueteng.

But they also knew that Chavit was passing on his crime to Estrada.

Estrada was hauled behind bars after Gloria’s 2001 takeover mainly on the strength of Singson’s false charges.

Singson, the accuser and an admitted jueteng beneficiary, meanwhile, was hailed a false hero.

The charges that JdV can level against erstwhile ally Gloria would be much graver than what Singson had accused Estrada since this now involves plunder of public funds as against the unproven accusations that Estrada had gained from jueteng money, which it should be pointed out, is private money.

JdV knows better than making a pledge to reveal all that he may not be able to fulfill with the current political configuration in the House of Representatives.

JdV, however, with the huge experience he had amassed through the years of being polished as the consummate politician, would likely bring it all in what may be the last attempt to impeach Gloria.

JdV once warned Gloria that if he goes down, she goes down with him.

He might just make good of that promise.

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