The opposition Liberal Party (LP) lashed out on Friday at Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for her “petty vindictiveness” in appointing a new caretaker representative for Batanes province, a year after the death of Rep. Henedina Abad.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, the LP president, said Arroyo did not respect Abad’s family and political party when she replaced former Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.—the LP vice president despite being an ally of President Duterte—with Pangasinan Rep. Rosemarie Arenas as Batanes’ caretaker last Wednesday.
Pangilinan said he believed that the last-minute appointment of Arenas was motivated by a grudge held by Arroyo against the late Abad and her widower, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.
Impeachment attempt
The Abad couple supported the impeachment attempt against Arroyo when she was President in connection with the 2004 election-rigging scandal.
“It seems Arroyo has not forgotten the active participation of Abad and her husband . . . in the party’s campaign to impeach her for cheating in the 2004 presidential elections . . .” the senator said.
But Belmonte on Friday rebuffed his LP colleagues for accusing Arroyo of being spiteful in the selection of the Batanes caretaker.
Unfair accusation
“It is unfair to accuse [the] Speaker of vindictiveness and partisanship,” Belmonte said in a statement.
As leader of the House of Representatives, Belmonte said, Arroyo has a “free hand in the choice of caretaker, duly considering the needs of the constituents of the lone legislative district of Batanes and my inability to continue performing my duty as such.”
Pangilinan said the move to replace Belmonte was done “in the waning minutes of the last day of session,” supposedly on the advice of a politician who was twice defeated by Abad in the elections, referring to former Rep. Carlo Diasnes.
“It is sad that right around the first death anniversary of the late Representative Abad on Oct. 8, Arroyo chooses to disrespect her memory by imposing upon the people of Batanes a new caretaker without the benefit of any consultation with the Batanes constituents,” he said.
The LP leader said the tradition in the House had been to respect the nomination of the political party that the deceased member represented.