Arroyo man’s son joins House majority

Leaders of the House majority have welcomed into their ranks the son of Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., a  loyal general and public works secretary under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and promptly gave him seats in three committees.

NEW REPRESENTATIVE Jun Omar Ebdane (middle, in red shirt) is proclaimed winner of the special election in the second congressional district of Zambales on Sunday, February 5, 2012. His father, Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. (second from right), joins the proclamation ceremony held by members of the provincial board of canvassers. PHOTO BY ROBERT GONZAGA/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

The House majority, led by the administration Liberal Party (LP), voted in plenary on Wednesday to include Zambales Rep. Jun Omar Ebdane as a majority member in the House committees on aquaculture and fisheries (chaired by Cebu Rep. Benhur Salimbangon), natural resources (chaired by Rep. Francisco Matugas) and health (chaired by Rep. Alfredo Maranon III).

Committee memberships are highly coveted because they are usually accompanied by additional perks and expand the influence of lawmakers.

The younger Ebdane was declared on Feb. 5 the successor to the late Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz who died in August 2011, after Ebdane won the special election in the second district, which covers the provincial capital Iba and the towns of Botolan, Cabanga, Candelaria, Masinloc, Palauig, San Antonio, San Felipe, San Narciso and Santa Cruz.

Ebdane garnered 62,867 votes against 56,945 votes for his closest rival,  LP candidate Cherly Deloso-Montallo.

Cavite Rep. Joseph E.A. Abaya, an LP stalwart, said that Ebdane’s decision to stay with the majority arose from his personal decision to support Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. “His being in the majority is a matter he conveys to the Speaker, essentially, his personal vote for the Speaker,” said Abaya in a text message.

The elder Ebdane has been implicated in alleged manipulation of the results of the 2004 presidential elections. A former national police chief, he was accused by one of his trusted aides, Senior Supt. Rafael Santiago, of being behind the covert operation to switch ballots at the Batasang Pambansa complex during the canvassing of election results.

In joining the majority, the younger Ebdane was apparently following the lead of another Arroyo loyalist, Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., who shifted to the majority to ensure continued access to his P70 million a year priority development assistance fund (PDAF) or pork barrel.

The PDAF has been withheld from five of Arroyo’s relatives and loyalists—Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo, the late Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo,  Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay.

“History will  attend to that and karma will also come in on matters like this. I think it’s bad karma for one person if he is cursed by those who depend on him,” said a frustrated Syjuco in a press conference where he made a public appeal to President Aquino to release his PDAF allotment.