Lessons for Arroyo in Senate coup

Senator Panfilo Lacson said after Juan Ponce-Enrile was sworn in as Senate president replacing Manny Villar, that "Nothing is spontaneous here in the Senate. These things are planned." To recall, Villar, who was re-elected as senator in 2007 under the Genuine Opposition ticket, was installed as Senate president last July with a vote of 15-7 by what was described as a "mongrel" majority that included all of Malacañang allies. Given that kind of support base, Villar has been doing a delicate balancing act between Malacañang's interest and the public's expectation for the Senate to do a fiscalizing role to the Arroyo administration's brazen violations of the Constitution. Although initiated by four opposition senators – Lacson, Loren Legarda, Mar Roxas and Jamby Madrigal, Villar's ouster last Monday was made possible when the very same people who were his allies just more than a year ago abandoned him. It should not really be a surprise to Villar having done the same to President Joseph Estrada in 2001 when he railroaded the impeachment process against the elected president who made it possible for him to be speaker of the House of Representatives. It's all about ambition and quest for power. It's known that senators who have presidential ambitions - Lacson, Legarda, Roxas - feel the Senate presidency gives Villar an advantage over them and the earlier he is removed from that position, the better for them. The C-5 double funding controversy gave them a "cause" on which to anchor their efforts to level the playing field. So much about Legarda's "Villar has lost the moral ascendancy." What about Enrile's Port Irene? A coup insider said the renewed campaign to oust Villar intensified during the break period from Oct. 9 to Nov. 9. The four thought that if they field Pimentel whom they put up against Villar last year, they couldn't get the administration senators. They would only be able to get Senators Rodolfo Biazon and Benigno Aquino, Jr., both of the Liberal Party. They needed 13 votes. To get the administration allies, it became a choice between Enrile and Sen. Edgardo Angara. They calculated that if you put up Enrile, you'll get his protege, Sen. Gregorio Honasan. There was no problem convincing Senators Richard Gordon. Ramon Revilla, Jr. Miguel Zubiri , Lito Lapid and Angara for an Enrile Senate presidency.. It was easy to convince Biazon, who belongs to the same political party with Roxas and is a Cavalier (graduate of the Philippine Military Academy) like Lacson and Honasan. With 11 senators on their side last week, the anti-Villar group talked with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who said he gave his vote to Enrile because the Arroyo ally is a partymate in the Partido ng Masang Pilipino. Sen. Chiz Escudero was the clinching vote against Villar. Six senators abstained : Joker Arroyo, Aquino, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Francis Pangilinan, and Pimentel. The Cayetanos are Villar partymates. Arroyo and Pangilinan are Villar's Wednesday Club colleague. Noynoy Aquino can't support his father's martial law jailor. Pimentel could not forget how Enrile pushed him out of the winning circle many elections ago through "dagdag-bawas." Sen. Miriam Santiago was absent and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV couldn't vote as he is still in detention. But I was told Trillanes would not have voted for Enrile. He thinks that the acceptable alternative to Villar is Pimentel. With the Ombudsman and the House of Representative under the heavy influence of Arroyo, the public depends on the Senate to stand up to Malacañang on three important issues: Charter Change, Blue Ribbon committee investigations, and the choosing of seven Supreme Court justices next year. A Senate source said even in an Enrile senate presidency, charter change has no chance in the Senate. Gordon is expected to replace Alan Cayetano as Blue Ribbon committee chair. Although there are some who think there were times Cayetano was not hard enough in the investigations, I find his conduct of the NBN/ZTE and re-opening of the fertilizer scam inquiries satisfactory. Will Gordon be unsparing of Malacañang allies in investigating corruption? Gordon has not been shy with his presidential ambitions. But given the survey figures, he is expected to run for re-election in 2010. So are Enrile, Revilla, Lapid, Santiago. The 2007 senatorial election results showed that being identified with Gloria Arroyo is a political suicide. Just look at what happened to Ralph Recto, Mike Defensor and Prospero Pichay. Maybe Revilla and Lapid will continue to be loyal to Arroyo. But she cannot be sure of Gordon, Enrile and Santiago. The latest Senate coup has shown how unreliable "loyalty" is in the Philippine politics. Arroyo must be having nightmares. E-mail: ellentordesillas@gmail.com