CONGRESS RESUMES SESSION; PLOT TO UNSEAT ENRILE LOOMS / ENRILE UNFAZED
MANILA, JANUARY 16, 2011 (STAR) By Paolo Romero and Christina Mendez - Congress resumes session today after a month-long holiday break but legislative work would be sluggish until Malacañang identifies priority bills in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting scheduled at the end of the month.
The Senate, meanwhile, is gripped with apprehension over a supposed plot to oust Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, but President Aquino's allies have assured him that there is no attempt to unseat him.
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales said the chamber is acting on the reports of various committees that have completed deliberations on certain bills.
Also to resume this week are hearings on high-profile issues like the ethics complaint against Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson who is detained in Hong Kong on drug charges, the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, and measures seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Gonzales said that while the chamber is waiting for the list of priority measures from the LEDAC, the chamber has begun working on measures perceived as urgent based on Aquino's State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 26.
"We took in consideration the SONA and we came up with our priority measures, which hopefully will be included in the priority agenda of the LEDAC. We will compare (our bills and the LEDAC agenda)," Gonzales told The STAR.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. earlier said among those lined up as priority bills are measures amending the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The approval of the Freedom of Information Bill will also be fast-tracked.
Before adjourning last Dec. 16, the House approved 20 bills on third reading and five others on second reading.
Approved by the chamber were bills protecting the right of students enrolled in review centers; institutionalizing kindergarten education in the basic education system; authorizing the courts to require community service instead of imprisonment for the penalty of arresto menor; and providing for a code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic devices of the country.
The House also concurred with Proclamation No. 75 granting amnesty to rebel soldiers who attempted to overthrow the Arroyo administration.
House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said the formation of the LEDAC is "long, long overdue" because it should have been convened within the first three months of the opening of Congress in July.
"There is no legislative agenda that has been crystallized. There is no direction in the House with respect to legislation…We have not enacted any major, major legislation," Lagman said in a telephone interview.
He wrote to Aquino last week urging him to include in the list of priority bills the controversial RH bill.
Senate 'coup'
President Aquino's allies at the Senate said there is no ongoing attempt to remove Enrile from his post.
The Liberal Party (LP) is rumored to be initiating a change in the Senate leadership on cue from Malacañang. "I am not aware of any overt move to remove Enrile. But there are three or four who salivate for the Senate presidency, you cannot take those dreams away from them," said Sen. Sergio Osmeña III.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan expressed reservations on the speculated power grab but clarified that no one in the LP told him about it. "No one in the LP approached me about any of this (plan to unseat Enrile) so I wouldn't know…(But) after all these years in the Senate, nothing surprises me anymore," he said.
Sen. Frankin Drillon, alleged to be among those eyeing Enrile's post, denied involvement in the supposed plot.
"It is funny because I support Senate President Enrile. He runs the chamber well. He treats all senators equally, opposition or administration. There is no reason for me to do that (seize power)," Drilon said in an interview over radio dwIZ.
"For as long as JPE (Enrile) is interested in the position I will support him. This is really just a rumor. I asked them (senators) who is leading this plot and I was told 'you.' Then that is really just a wild rumor," he added.
He said there is no resolution circulating among senators seeking a change in leadership.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and majority leader Vicente Sotto III expressed confidence that Enrile will remain as Senate president.
"Yes, I have no doubt," Sotto said.
Estrada said he is "very confident" that Enrile still has the support of the majority.
Senators Loren Legarda and Gregorio Honasan also expressed confidence in Enrile's leadership.
'Psywar'
A source who declined to be identified suggested the rumors may actually have come from Enrile's camp.
"Enrile is a psywar (psychological war) expert since the Japanese era," the source quoted a senator as saying in dispelling the coup rumors.
Enrile himself said he would not cling to his post if his colleagues decide to oust him.
"You know, I don't assume everything, that I am alive tomorrow. I am not assuming that my colleagues will be with me… (if they have the numbers), I will give it up," said Enrile in an interview with radio dzBB.
He also expressed doubt that Aquino is behind the alleged ouster plot.
"I don't think Noynoy is like that, a machinator or a Machiavellian. I don't think the President has anything to do with it," Enrile said.
FROM THE TRIBUNE
Enrile unfazed by coup rumors, ready to go 'if they have the numbers' By Angie M. Rosales and Aytch S. de la Cruz 01/15/2011
Whether Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile will keep his position as Senate president when Congress reopens sessions on Monday remains uncertain, although talk of a brewing coup had been denied by some colleagues, including the senator who was supposed to replace him.
Enrile, however, yesterday stressed that he is not about to take counter measures to crush the alleged plot to unseat him, saying he will turn over the position "in a silver platter" if they have the numbers.
"If they can tell me today that they have the numbers, I will give them my signed consent," Enrile told reporters in an interview.
"I'm not making any challenge. It's up to anyone. They are free to campaign, to gather together and put up a bloc of 13. I'm not, I will not, I shall not, (make any counter move)," the Senate chief emphasized.
Enrile further said he's not alarmed by the alleged plan to overthrow him which, according to sources, is only short of having two out of the 13 votes required by the Constitution in installing a new leader.
The Senate president also remains clueless on where the alleged coup talk originated, although the name of Sen.
Franklin Drilon was floated as the supposed likely successor, saying that no one among his colleagues has come forward to forewarn or notify him regarding this matter.
Drilon is the chairman of the ruling Liberal Party (LP).
"I don't think Malacañang would even bother to get involved in anything like that. For what? As far as my relationship with Malacañang, whether during the time of President Gloria (Arroyo) and during this time of President Aquino, I have not changed my attitude toward Malacañang," he said.
Enrile also practically cleared Drilon, who is a fraternity brother and with whom he stood as one of the latter's wedding sponsors, of any involvement even if there were those practically pointing to Palace's LP group in the Senate as supposedly moving for his ouster.
"If he has, all he has to say is 'Can I have it?' He knows that. I said the same to Kiko (Sen. Francis Pangilinan) and also to (Sen.) Manny (Villar). Surely, I will take out all my things here and go to another room," he said.
All three senators went up against Enrile in the race to the Senate presidency when the current Congress opened last July and all of them supported him since they failed to muster the needed numbers.
"Allies of the President, they are the one initiating this? They can have it if they want. I don't know if they have the numbers. If the Palace wants to change me which I doubt because I have not felt any such effort anything like that, my relationship with the Palace is very cordial. But if they (Palace) want to have their own man here, sure, by all means. I will give it to them on a silver platter.
"I don't know where that story came from but there is no need for them to do stage any coup d'etat. All they have to do is to tell me 'here we have the 13 numbers, will you can and I'll give it up right away'."
The veteran lawmaker also said that he doesn't even need to conduct a loyalty check whether he has still the support once the Senate regular session resumes on Monday.
"I think I will demean the members of the Senate if I'm going to conduct a loyalty check. So, there's no need for me do to any loyalty check because if I'm going to do it, that's means I'm clinging to the position," Enrile said.
Drilon, for his part, issued a statement denying any involvement or even knowledge to the supposed coup in the offing.
"Reports linking me to the alleged coup plot in the Senate are unfounded and baseless. I was totally surprised when my staff informed me about rumors of a purported attempt to unseat Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to pave the way for my installation as the chamber's leader. There was no attempt to start with, and I already reaffirmed my support behind the leadership of Senator Enrile," he said.
Drilon, who is currently in Bangkok and due to fly back to the country today, said in a radio interview that when the news of coup talks reached him abroad, he even asked his staff who was supposed to be behind it.
"Funny that I even asked who's behind it, only to be told that I'm the one being pointed as responsible," he said before reaffirming his full support to Enrile, adding there is no reason to under the current leader of the upper chamber.
"It's plain rumor," he added.
Drilon refuted allegations as to whether there's already a resolution being routed for signature, saying that when he asked one of the LP senators in the upper chamber, he was told that "there is no such initiative" coming from their end.
"The LP and the administration (of President Aquino) remain supportive of the kind of leadership of Enrile. I am not interested in getting his position," he said.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, during another interview with reporters, dismissed the coup talks although he admitted receiving queries, one even coming from colleague, Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. last Wednesday.
"A lawyer-friend asked me if there's a (Senate) coup and I said there's none. He said that he heard that there is in the offing," he said.
Revilla also inquired about it to him and he gave the same answer. When he met with Sen. Edgardo Angara, Zubiri said he took the opportunity to ask the former if he has knowledge or involvement to the coup plot to which the former flatly denied.
"I don't think there's any group that can come up with the needed numbers to oust Enrile. He has all the confidence of our colleagues. He remains fair to everyone, supportive of the administration. If there's any report saying that it's an initiative of the party of the President, I won't believe it. Ernile has been supportive of the plans and programs of this administration. As far as I am concern he has my full trust and confidence," he said.
Malacañang, meanwhile, said the prospective change of leadership in the Senate is "an exercise of democracy," while holding back further comments regarding the matter.
According to deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte, such issues are very internal to the legislative department be it in the Senate or in the House of Representatives so the Palace would rather not touch on them.
To have Malacañang's thoughts on the matter is no longer necessary at this point, she said, expressing confidence that the senators can resolve the issue on their own.
She refused to categorically state Malacañang's position when asked if this development would be supported by Aquino and just said that "it is something that can go on and that is entirely within the purview of the senators."
Valte's views were shared by Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang who, in a chance interview, denied insinuations that Malacañang may have a hand on what was allegedly going on in the Senate.
"That is a Senate matter and the Palace has nothing to do with it. But I don't think that there's any truth to any coup plot in the Senate against Senator Enrile," he said.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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