EDITORIAL - Man of the hour

Only a few weeks ago the House of Representatives was a favorite object of public vilification. Long regarded as the haven of traditional politicians more interested in the congressional pork barrel than in legislation, there was derision each time the chamber was referred to as the "lower" House. The home of wheelers and dealers and political horse traders, the House of Representatives was seen for many years as the rubber stamp of Malacañang. This unsavory reputation was viewed as one of the reasons for the defeat of two former House speakers who aimed for the presidency in the past two elections.

When a handful of opposition congressmen and private citizens filed an impeachment complaint against President Estrada last month, most people believed it had as much chance as a snowball in hell. The House was packed with members of the ruling Lapian ng Masang Pilipino coalition, and the public wasn’t even sure if all opposition members would endorse the impeachment complaint. There was also President Estrada repeatedly saying in public that he preferred impeachment to resignation, fueling suspicions that Malacañang was out to kill the case even before it reached the Senate.

In just a few days, however, the House has managed to surprise the nation. At the center of the storm was Manuel Villar Jr., the billionaire real estate developer from Las Piñas who became speaker after joining LAMP in 1998. As outrage over the jueteng scandal spread, Villar left the ruling coalition, bringing with him nearly 50 of his colleagues from LAMP. Suddenly there was a glimmer of hope in the impeachment case. Villar and the defectors affixed their signatures to the complaint, fulfilling the requirement that one-third of House members must sign it before it can be forwarded to the Senate. The complaint was endorsed by the justice committee.

Still there were possible road blocks. The majority could still unseat Villar and pick prosecutors allied with the administration. By their mere absence, the LAMP congressmen could create an interminable delay in the proceedings. They did show up last Monday, however, and Villar was ready for them. From the opening prayer, Villar did not give the Estrada allies a chance to interrupt him as he read the Articles and Impeachment and announced he was forwarding it to the Senate with 115 signatures. Then he banged the gavel to declare a recess.

Now the President has been impeached. And Villar has lost the speakership, but it was a small price to pay for his historic act. We pay tri-bute to this man, and hope there will be others like him in the Senate.