What transpired at the House of the Representatives on Monday before the arrival of President Duterte to deliver his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) is a coup de grace for a wounded Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez. There was a “coup” at the House where 161 congressmen crossing party lines signed a petition ousting Alvarez and installing former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the new Speaker. The drama delayed for more than an hour the President’s scheduled 4 p.m. Sona.
Of course, the President’s timely intervention saved the Philippine Congress from further embarrassment as the international community is closely watching developments. Duterte never spoke about the incident; he just delivered his prepared speech, which lasted for more than 30 minutes. It was the shortest of his three Sonas.
The incident, however, spoiled the expected signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law by both houses of Congress. However, the President promised to sign the measure into law 48 hours after submission to his office.
Sometimes, politics becomes dirty when players “brawl” in public. It’s just like when one is doing the right thing, there will always be spoilers or detractors.
Alvarez and Arroyo are both Duterte allies. What happened on Monday, however, could cause cracks in the administration’s solid supermajority at the House. For one, this could jeopardize the President’s vision of a federal Philippines. He needs allies, not enemies, in Congress.
After the Sona, the 161 signatures swelled to 184, officially ousting Alvarez. He should thank the President for allowing him to bang the gavel one more time on Monday. Pundits, however, said Alvarez designed his own downfall.
I’m sure the President can’t help but sympathize with his friend Alvarez. At the same time, he welcomes another friend—Arroyo —as his top honcho in the Lower House. I think one of Arroyo’s missions now is to help the President mend fences with the Catholic Church. Arroyo has a lot of friends at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), especially the influential bishops who were her defenders during her tumultuous years as president.
Unlike Alvarez, Arroyo is anti-death penalty, anti-divorce, anti-reproductive health, anti-abortion, anti-same sex marriage, among others. Alvarez removed her as Deputy Speaker for not supporting the death penalty bill. I don’t want to think that some bishops had a hand in Alvarez’s ouster. The CBCP is very influential and we all know that.
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