In the second wave of its purge of members who supported last year’s failed opposition-initiated move to impeach President Arroyo, the majority bloc also removed Nereus Acosta of Bukidnon as ecology committee chairman and Clavel Martinez of Cebu as a member of the powerful Commission on Appointments.
Aquino, son of former President Aquino, heads the Liberal Party (LP) bloc in the House. Ironically, he was replaced by his own party mate, Eric Singson of Ilocos Sur. But unlike Rep. Aquino, Singson is an Arroyo loyalist.
Two weeks ago, two days after his mother reiterated her call for Mrs. Arroyo to resign, the House tried to remove then Deputy Speaker Aquino. But Rep. Joel Villanueva of the party-list group Citizens Battle Against Corruption promptly questioned the quorum, delaying Aquino’s removal.
Minority Leader Francis Escudero had expressed suspicion that the move to oust the deputy speaker was related to former President Aquino’s repeated call for the President to step down.
"The timing is suspect. Everything has been quiet here. Why would they suddenly rock the boat?" Escudero asked.
Acosta, who also belongs to LP, was replaced by Manila’s Miles Roces, who is still facing an election protest from the wife of former Rep. Harry Angping.
The case has reached the Supreme Court. Roces is a son-in-law of Mayor Lito Atienza.
Martinez was one of several Lakas members who supported the impeach-Arroyo initiative. More than five years ago, she was part of the House panel that prosecuted then President Estrada in his aborted Senate impeachment trial.
In the course of one "Hello, Garci" hearing, she claimed there was evidence that Mrs. Arroyo’s leaders in Cebu had cheated for her in the May 2004 presidential election. She said she regretted supporting the President.
Martinez was replaced by Antipolo City Rep. Victor Sumulong, while Pangasinan Rep. Generoso Tulagan was named in place of Singson as public works committee chairman.
Both Sumulong and Tulagan belong to the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), the political party Mrs. Arroyo founded in 1997.
Kampi is spearheading the campaign to gather 195 signatures of members of Congress to force the issue on Charter change.
Late last year, two pro-impeachment congressmen, Roilo Golez of Parañaque and Gilbert Remulla of Cavite, were replaced as chairmen of the defense committee and the public information committee, respectively.