Lakas-CMD rejects secret balloting for speakership race

The pro-administration Lakas-CMD will not let the House of Representatives, which it controls, choose its next speaker through secret balloting.

The party, headed by Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., arrived at the decision in a caucus yesterday.

The decision in effect unburdened De Venecia of an earlier commitment to let Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia challenge the speakership through a secret balloting.

With the development, De Venecia is poised for an unprecedented fifth term as speaker.

De Venecia’s allies in Lakas-CMD stressed they rejected late Friday the secret balloting dare of Garcia.

De Venecia’s bid to keep the speakership, his allies said, has the support of 192 of the 236 congressmen, including those from other pro-administration parties.

But Garcia, in a statement, said De Venecia “chickened out after realizing he’ll lose in such an exercise.”

“In making a 180-degree turn, De Venecia had even wanted to save face by saying it was a party decision made by Lakas-CMD,” the Cebu lawmaker said.

A statement from Lakas stalwarts in the House, led by new Majority Leader Arthur Defensor, said 81 of its 95 members who attended the party caucus yesterday agreed that the proposal of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi for a July 21 all-party convention “is already too late.” Garcia is a member of Kampi, which is also pro-administration. De Venecia is Lakas president.

“The date of their choice is ridiculous and unacceptable, as it is on the eve of the opening of the 14th Congress (on July 23),” Defensor said.

“I agreed to all the statements because this is the collective and unanimous decision of Lakas,” De Venecia said of his colleagues’ rejection of secret balloting.

In defending the open voting for speaker in the House plenary, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said that secret balloting could spur turncoatism. “Secrecy is the cover for turncoats,” he stressed.

Garcia said De Venecia changed his mind at the last minute after he “realized that he still does not have the numbers despite his claim to the contrary, thus he was forced to backtrack on his earlier pronouncement that he was agreeing to secret balloting.”

He said he made a “counter-offer” to hold the secret balloting on July 21 because lawmakers would not have come for a secret balloting yesterday, a Saturday.