‘Politics, politics, politics’

It’s all about “politics, politics, politics.” In one word repeated thrice over, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque deplored what he believes were political maneuvers taking place this early in the Philippines. In particular, Roque claimed his former boss, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and the latter’s equally feisty daughter, Vice President and concurrent Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte, are the targets.

Roque pointed out that the source of these seemingly guided political attacks emanate from the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Roque recalled both President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) and VP Duterte run and won together under the UniTeam during the May 2022 national and local elections. Roque himself also run in last year’s elections but lost in his Senate bid under the same UniTeam.

However, Roque has been sensing some of their UniTeam allies are off this early in politicking already.

Without mincing words, Roque squarely accused Speaker Romualdez as allegedly “out to get the Dutertes.” Roque revealed having received A-1 information that the House of Representatives is set to approve next week a Congress Resolution urging the government to cooperate with the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This pertains to the case filed in the ICC at The Hague by opposition leaders on the alleged crimes against humanity committed by ex-President Duterte during his administration’s all out war on drugs. Roque’s former Cabinet colleague, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III confirmed the same information he received from his own sources because he is one of the co-accused in the ICC case. The other respondents in the ICC included former police chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, former Special Assistant to the President and now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, and VP Sara.

After the impeachment rumors against VP Sara first erupted, Roque bewailed, the House Resolution on ICC cropped up from nowhere. Describing the erstwhile Chief Executive as a person who “thinks deep,” Aguirre, however, believes his College of Law classmate is least perturbed by the ICC case.

In response, the soft-spoken Speaker who described Roque as a “good friend” reiterated yesterday his previous statements that assuaged both ex-President Duterte and VP Sara. “We respect his (Roque) thoughts and opinions but they’re not accurate…There’s a lot of speculations but none of that is true,” the Speaker vowed.

Roque and Aguirre who were guests in Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday echoed the same suspicions based on what they both noted as a series of inter-related events that took place one after the other. Since they left the Duterte Cabinet ­– both lawyers who have returned to their respective private law practice –disclosed being kept updated by information coming from all legal circles, many of which were freely shared to them.

Roque admitted getting also information from the “Marites” (loose talks) he had gathered from certain members of the present 19th Congress, but whom he refused to name. Roque himself was a former Kabayan Party List Representative during the 17th Congress. He resigned from his post when he joined the Duterte Cabinet in November 2017. He is currently also one of the opinion columnists of The Star.

True enough later that day, the joint committees on human rights and justice started the hearing on three separate House Resolutions (HR) – all calling upon government agencies and departments to work with ICC. It was read on first reading at the House session Tuesday and the very next day, the two committees started the public hearing.

Once the House approves these Resolutions, Roque fears, it will become the basis of Justice Secretary Crispin “Boying” Remulla to authorize the ICC to enter the Philippines and conduct here their inquiry. Already, Roque noted, Remulla suddenly changed tunes despite PBBM’s earlier public declaration the Philippines already terminated its engagements with the ICC. “But there appears to be defiance,” Roque charged.

HR 1477 was authored by House Committee on Human Rights chair and Manila Rep. Benny Abante and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez. While the two other HRs were filed by “Makabayan” bloc partylist Representatives France Castro of ACT Teachers, Raoul Manuel of Kabataan and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman.

These three HRs came in apparent retaliation against ex-President Duterte who branded Congress as a “rotten institution.” This was after the lawmakers removed P650 million in confidential funds of his daughter Sara at the OVP and DepEd. Speaking in his weekly radio program at the SMNI he undertakes in his post-Malacañang life, Mr. Duterte also ranted against Castro whom he tagged anew as among the left-leaning enemies of the State.

This led Castro to file complaint against the former President before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office. Acting on this complaint, the former President – who no longer enjoys immunity from suit – was asked to attend a hearing on Dec. 4 and submit his counter-affidavit.

Roque suspects the campaign against the Dutertes started with the removal as House deputy speaker, former President and currently Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Mrs. Arroyo has long been a chief political ally of the Dutertes. She gave up her initial Speakership bid after PBBM gave his nod to Romualdez to be the Speaker. A first cousin of PBBM from the maternal side, Romualdez named instead Mrs. Arroyo as senior House deputy speaker.

Mrs. Arroyo first served as Speaker in the second half of the 18th Congress in a House leadership coup aided by then Davao City Mayor Sara. But Mrs. Arroyo was recently removed from the House leadership.

“Nothing happens in the House without the blessing of the Speaker,” Roque quipped.

Ex-President Duterte has the last words with a promise to run again for the Senate in 2025 elections. It is what it is, fight politics with politics.