Two large groups of congressmen have manifested their support for Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy. Despite this, it appears efforts to mount a coup at the House of Representatives continue.
We only have scarce information about face-to-face recruitment to depose the sitting Speaker. But the effort continues largely online, using anonymous accounts. These accounts try of manufacture outrage through coordinated messaging.
In the absence of genuine disenchantment with the current leadership of the chamber, the coup effort is likely to remain in the darkest corners. But a power grab still remains a possibility should more legislators find enough reason to participate in the conspiracies.
It should be easy to enumerate the possible motives driving the effort to unseat Dy.
Several congressmen linked to the raging corruption scandal and facing possible charges are disappointed the current House leadership is not doing more to protect them. On the contrary, Speaker Dy has declared the House will fully respect the mandate of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and will cooperate with all the agencies of the executive branch involved in unearthing the scale of the corruption.
In a word, the House leadership will not shield errant legislators. Early estimates put the number of congressmen who could be dragged to court for involvement in the flood-control mess at about a tenth of the chamber’s membership. This includes the so-called “cong-tractors” who broker budget items to favor their businesses.
By upholding the rule of law, Speaker Dy breaks from the traditional practices of the politically powerful. When held to account, influential personalities rely on the old boy networks and the usual back channels to evade prosecution.
Another possible reason why some congressmen might want Dy replaced is the Speaker’s support for the anti-political dynasty reforms being initiated in the chamber. A number of reform-oriented legislators have taken advantage of the public uproar over corruption to finally push an anti-dynasty bill. Although commanded by the Constitution, our legislators have not acted to curtail the political dynasties that converted elective office into family businesses.
The entrenched political dynasties have been blamed for the scale and impunity of corruption in the country.
There is a third, less likely, motive animating the coup plotters at the House: preparations for the possible impeachment of President Bongbong Marcos.
There are actually two irreconcilable groups here. One postures as strong defenders of the President and argue that the House needs to be led by a firmer hand to stop any impeachment effort.
The other group is preparing precisely to introduce impeachment proceedings against Marcos. With the corruption scandal expected to rage into the coming months, there could be a tipping point in the numbers. The administration currently enjoys the support of a supermajority.
It is hard to see, however, how all the possible motives for a coup could intersect to make the power grab viable.
Con artists
With friends like the US, who needs enemies?
A US congressional commission recently recommended that Taiwan help finance upgrades to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines. The self-governing island, no doubt, has the money to spend. It has been able to largely finance its own defense forces by purchasing advanced American military equipment.
What was scarcely mentioned in the news reports is that any payments from Taiwan will not go to the Philippines. Instead, they will go directly to the US and then routed through the US Foreign Military Sales program.
While obviously dragging us to the frontline of any war that might erupt in the tense Taiwan Strait through the extensive use of its EDCA facilities, Washington seems unwilling to pay for regional defense. Instead, it is asking Asian nations to spend more. The spending directly benefits the US military-industrial complex.
The US congressional commission’s recommendations complements what appears to be the new shape of US defense policy not only in this part of the world but everywhere else. It seems singularly obsessed with passing more and more of the costs of America’s defense strategy to its allies. For instance, Washington has convinced its European partners to pay for American weapons supplied to Ukraine.
During US Defense Secretary Hegseth’s visit to Manila last March, American diplomats loudly claimed the US will help modernize the Philippine military to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. It turns out that what Washington was offering were loans to us to buy American arms while adding to our debt pile.
Even our ambassador to Washington was taken aback by the offer. He undiplomatically replied to the offer by bluntly saying the country could not afford it.
We need to restudy the terms of our “alliance” with the US. If the weapons Washington intends to sell us are principally intended to help Taiwan’s defense against possible aggression, why are we paying for them?
When the EDCA was being debated here, one of the justifications for lending portions of our military camps to the US was that the facilities will help us to cope with calamities. So many calamities have come and gone. The EDCA facilities never significantly figured in the disaster response.
Our highest military official have been quoted saying that the Philippines should be prepared to hold the frontline for 20 or 30 days before American help arrives. He has committed our troops to a war that is not of our choosing.