Lakas to tackle Guingona fate soon

The ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party will likely convene soon to decide what to do with its most contrarious member, Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye announced the looming party caucus a day after rumors spread that Guingona, Lakas-CMD president, would bolt the party and join anti-American demonstrations during the brief state visit of US President George W. Bush on Oct. 18.

"We still do not have a party stand on the issue but we must have a meeting to discuss it," Bunye said when asked about Guingona’s status in the party.

President Arroyo appointed then Senator Guingona vice president shortly after she succeeded to the presidency in January 2001.

He was appointed over Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. apparently because the President and her political advisers felt that a partymate would be a wiser choice for vice president. Mrs. Arroyo also appointed Guingona foreign affairs secretary.

But Guingona, who was a "street parliamentarian" during the Marcos dictatorship, proved to be a contrarious vice president and opposed key government policies.

Adopting the "nationalistic" stance he had espoused since the 1980s, Guingona opposed Mrs. Arroyo’s preferred policies, especially in dealing with the United States.

However, Guingona came under congressional criticism in early September 2001 for supposedly "caving in" to the "contumacious behavior" of then US chargé d’affaires Michael Malinowski.

Malinowski allegedly hurled invectives at Visiting Force Agreement Commission (VFACom) executive director Elmer Cato during an argument on the unilateral exercises that were allegedly conducted by the US Air Force.

Southern Leyte Rep. Aniceto Saludo Jr. said at the time: "It is bad enough that Malinowski acts like the US High Commissioner of a bygone era. Worse yet our own Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Guingona) did not have the backbone to call Malinowski’s bluff."

In January of the following year, Guingona adopted a loud stance in opposing the then-planned joint exercise, which was to be called "Balikataan," with the US. He publicly complained that he was not consulted on the negotiations for the exercise.

In April last year, he was accused of sitting on the approval of the deployment of US troops, supposedly making a shipload of US military engineers wait in international waters for several days and delayed the conclusion of the war game’s "terms of reference."

These disagreements — which Guingona and the Palace called "honest differences of opinion" — came to a head in June last year when the Vice President "relinquished" his Cabinet portfolio.

The President accepted Guingona’s "relinquishment" but he later said he was not resigning and would remain foreign secretary.

A few days later, senior presidential aides announced Guingona "can resign as foreign secretary. He is even free to resign as vice president if he wants."

Mrs. Arroyo has since received more cooperation from opposition Sen. Blas Ople who was named to succeed Guingona but the Vice President continued to twit the Palace on key issues.

When doubts were raised on the President’s sincerity when she announced she will not run in next year’s elections, Guingona dared Mrs. Arroyo to be true to her word.

Shortly after the government quashed a mutiny on July 27, Guingona warned of more "drastic scenarios" because of accusations that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was involved in money laundering.

Two weeks ago, Guingona was rumored to have been involved in an alleged coup plot by a group of military generals who allegedly planned to install him as a government "figurehead." He denied the report.

On Saturday, word again spread that Guingona would resign as vice president and as president of the ruling party. He denied the rumor and said he had "no intention of resigning and (will) not participate in any extra-constitutional plot against the President."

Guingona’s spokesman Danilo Venida said the Vice President’s continued support for the government was shown when he stood beside the President during last Friday’s prayer rally organized by Metro Manila mayors at the Luneta in Manila.

"While Guingona may have had differences with the President at times, the differences were based on principle and were never personal," Venida said. "The Vice President remains committed to the rule of law. He is not about to turn his back on the government," he said. — Mayen Jaymalin