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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Rep. Jose De Venecia Jr: The Politician’s True Color


For Rep. Jose De Venecia Jr, politics is his life, his means and his grounds. Splendid enough to be written on his memoirs but not to the eyes of the Filipino people who consider him as a “trapo” (traditional politician). JDV (as how people know him) is a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. He seems to be a protagonist whenever he appears on television and radio interviews, but don’t be deceived by his practiced tone. His intentions are usually covered by seemingly innocent bids that are really focused for his personal gain, not for the improvement of the present government system.

During JDV’s speakership, he has been keen in pushing thru the Charter Change (Cha-Cha) through a constituent assembly (Con-Ass). His objective was not to improve the constitution but rather, to convey unlimited term for traditional politicians (like him). In addition, he intended to built his character by giving in to the interests of international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO) and other influential countries and global firms to fulfill his ambition in becoming the country’s first prime minister under a parliamentary system. During his early days in politics, JDV went scot-free with a P5 billion private debts from his defunct Land Oil Resources Corp. during former president Ferdinand Marcos’ term. He also asserted the institutionalization of pork barrel distribution from the national budget during former President Fidel Ramos’ term. It was all too common that most Filipino are against the pork barrel scheme since part of the funds only goes to the politicians’ pocket. The worst was JDV’s active support for the 1973 charter change during Marcos’ term that legitimized the late dictator’s imposition of Martial Law.
True to being a “Trapo”, his deeds never changed even under the present administration. It can be recalled that JDV had nowhere to go when he beggingly clung to PGMA’s party to sustain his political career, contrary to reports that Mrs. Arroyo tapped him to help promote the latter’s Presidency. With the President’s willingness to help him survive in the political arena, she willingly put JDV under her wings. In the eyes of the media JDV made it well under the present administration as a “trapo,” not until his son, Joey De Venecia III made a mess with the aborted ZTE-NBN deal that dipped his father in the mud. As a “trapo”, JDV’s instinct was to find ways to survive the controversy. At the brink of his ouster as House Speaker, he blamed the Palace of plotting his downfall, spitting out allegations of irregularities and corruptions in the government. As such, he was too fast to fabricate stories about corruption in the present administration, hurling them directly against the Arroyo administration while making him totally hypocrite. It was all too obvious then that JDV is expecting the opposition’s door to open up for him. JDV clearly showed the public that he was not only “trapo,” but a “balimbing” as well.

During an hour-long speech as JDV was in the process of being ousted, the Filipino people realized the true intention of this politician. Time came by and they will not be fooled again. If JDV was truly a concerned lawmaker, he had so many chances before to do right for this nation. However, those opportunities were all focused for his personal gains. He supposedly had the chance to look into several issues and probably do something about it, but the power he had as Speaker of the Lower House was just a strong hold, serving only as a stepping stone as the potential Prime Minister in a new Philippine Parliamentary. His position was definitely a cover to hide his own morality.

Now, with the aborted ZTE-NBN deal still warm for exploitation, JDV still has the guts to stand as witness in its investigation. For sure, the Filipino people would not be interested anymore in his testimony after he unashamedly chose sides just to survive the political arena and to remain in power. He is not the kind of witness that we need to uncover alleged anomalies since he lacks credence for that matter. JDV’s real intention is not to do what is right, but rather, of political survival. Nothing more…