FVR a psy-war expert but a peacemaker — JDV

DAGUPAN CITY — Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said here the other day that while former President Fidel Ramos "is a master practitioner of psywar," he is also "a major peacemaker."

De Venecia told local journalists at his Bonuan Binloc residence that Ramos "is trying to capture the opposition," citing reports that the former president held secret meetings with opposition leaders like Senate President Franklin Drilon and former senator Vicente Sotto III.

Sources close to Ramos said that apart from the Jan. 2 meeting with Drilon and Sotto, the former president also met with former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr.

The meetings were reportedly designed so President Arroyo’s critics could obtain Ramos’ support in pressing for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation.

But De Venecia sees these reports from another angle: "(Ramos) is making them believe that he is aligning himself to be captured by the opposition. But he is actually trying to capture the opposition."

In the process, "(Ramos) is creating the synthesis because, by pursuing both the thesis and the antithesis, he is trying to create the synthesis," he said.

De Venecia said this is what he himself has been doing all these years by dealing with the opposition, left wing and right wing groups.

He said the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) is a centrist party and added that the Centrist Democratic International (CDI), of which he is vice president, is trying to create centrist parties all over the world that will attract forces of the left and of the right and bring them to the democratic center.

"Okay lahat ’yun. Maganda lahat ’yun (That is all okay. Everything is good)," De Venecia said about Ramos’ meeting with the opposition.

He said he himself had met with ousted former President Joseph Estrada a few weeks ago.

"These are all exploratory (talks) to reduce the tension — or create new tension," De Venecia said in jest. "Just relax."

He also said Ramos is not playing a game, adding that the former president "is deadly serious about helping to unite the country."

Asked if Ramos’ reported actions had the endorsement of Malacañang, De Venecia said, "as far as I am concerned — I speak as a Speaker and president of the ruling party — full endorsement."

"It’s only those without deep-seated convictions (who) are afraid of creating new tension between the president and the former president," he said. — Eva Visperas