In the name of their fathers

There was so much hype when five more House solons officially signed last Tuesday the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.

The five were, namely, Congressmen Gilbert Remulla of Cavite, Edmund Reyes of Marinduque, Pasig Rep. Robert "Dudut" Jaworski Jr. and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, and partylist Rep. Renato Magtubo.

There are now 47 of the required 79 signatures that would fast track the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo to the Senate. The numbers are expected to grow within the next few days and I guess this is what they call "creeping" impeachment.

But the decision of the five House solons to finally sign the impeachment complaint against the President was actually anti-climactic. They had previously announced their plans to sign it and were supposed to be merely holding back for some reason or the other.

Barbers, Reyes, and Jaworski belong to the ruling administration Lakas-CMD party. But their decision to sign the impeachment complaint against Mrs. Arroyo, who is their party leader, they insisted, had nothing to do with political considerations.

But what amused me a lot was their claims of being stricken by conscience which pushed them to sign the impeachment complaint against Mrs. Arroyo and that their respective families support their decisions.

Then, if that is the case, it would be a more credible move on the part of Barbers and Jaworski if their respective family members and immediate relatives holding government positions resign. By doing so, this will truly manifest their support for the decision of the two young solons. And if I may add, for delicadeza’s sake.

A younger brother of Barbers, Robert Dean is the administrator of the Philippine Tourism Authority. I would grant the argument Ace is not his brother’s keeper. But a family is a family, no matter what.

Wasn’t their father’s voice among those supposedly in the so-called "Garci tape" which recorded the wiretapped telephone conversations of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano? But that’s beside the point.

In the case of Dudut, let us start with his wife, Mikey Cojuangco. From what I gathered, she is connected with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Project. In fairness to Mikey, I don’t think she needs this job but I guess she wants to give her support for this government project.

Ironically though, Mikey was appointed to this government project during the time of President Arroyo’s executive secretary Alberto Romulo whose son, Roman, run but lost to Dudut for the lone congressional seat in Pasig during last year’s May elections.

Dudut’s mother-in-law, Margarita "Tingting" Cojuangco is an undersecretary at the Department of Interior and Local Government and concurrent president of the Philippine Public Safety College.

Dudut’s father-in-law, Jose "Peping" Cojuangco was installed as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) when he was elected by the heads of the various national sports associations. So there is no problem on that score.

Even after Peping’s sister, former President Corazon Aquino led the resignation calls against her, President Arroyo supported the POC chief when sports leaders led by him asked her to ease out Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan as head of the Philippine Organizing Committee for the Southeast Asian Games.

Former Sen. Ramon Revilla, who is chairman of the Public Estates Authority is the grandfather of Dudut. The septuagenarian Don Ramon is the father-in-law of Dudut’s father, ex-Sen. Robert Jaworski. Stryke Revilla, a son of Don Ramon and uncle of Dudut, was recently appointed by President Arroyo as board member of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Let us not include Sen. Bong Revilla, Dudut's uncle, who was elected into office on the Senate ticket of Mrs. Arroyo in last year's elections.

If their family members and relatives –I might not know some of them who are in government positions – have resigned already, well and good and they earn our highest respect and admiration.

If not, they must tender, at the very least their "courtesy" resignation and if necessary, make them irrevocable if they really support and share the views of the young Barbers and Jaworski against President Arroyo who was their appointing authority.

The political realities in the Philippines, however, have enabled these political clans to enjoy the best of both worlds. They want to have their cake and eat it, too, so to speak.

President Arroyo is not blameless here, to say the least, in many of these political accommodations, especially her political appointees who have stepped on the heads of career people in government, including those in the diplomatic service.

lt will not do any good if we dwell on motives. But it cannot be denied it has been bruited about in the past that ex-Senators Jaworski and Barbers were being considered for possible appointments to positions in government but these appointments did not come to pass.

I understand both ex-Senators are out of the country and could not therefore give their side on the issue. But what Congressmen Barbers and Jaworski did in the name of their fathers will forever remain in the footnotes of history books.

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I received this rejoinder from Pat P. Daza-Planas, wife of Mike Planas who ran but lost during the May 2004 elections for the third congressional district of Quezon City against Matt Defensor, father of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Mike Defensor.

"I read your article today in the Phil. STAR and I couldn’t help but get goose bumps when I read it! I guess you are one of the remaining few who thinks Mike Defensor and family still have any credibility left!!! Anyway, I wanted to share with you this letter I sent to the President, Gloria M. Arroyo, last year at the height of the elections where we are definite, the Defensors used their supreme connections with the Comelec to bamboozle their way through Congress. To date, the case has been elevated to the Supreme Court in the hope that justice will be served. I am hopeful, this will be an eye-opener for you."

My reply: As you have stated, this matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Let the proper body resolve this election case. In our democracy, everyone’s opinion, particularly "the few" must be heard and respected by others even if they are the majority.

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