Militant lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc said it would be a blow to the integrity of the House of Representative should former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo become deputy speaker in the 17th Congress.
In an impassioned answer during a press conference on Wednesday, Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said the public should not forget the record of human rights violations and enforced disappearances of activists during the Arroyo administration.
Tinio also cited the plunder case against Arroyo over the alleged raid of state lottery funds, which was dismissed by the Supreme Court that led to Arroyo’s release from hospital detention at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.
READ: SC: Arroyo OK on fund release not overt act of plunder
“It will be a huge black mark against the House to have such a deputy speaker such as the former president, na nakasuhan ng plunder, nakalusot siya dun for now,” Tinio said.
“Para sa akin, pinakamabigat pa rin diyan ang kaniyang legacy of human rights violations, yung mga daan daang aktibista at mamamayan na pinatay sa ilalim ng kaniyang pagkapangulo, kasama dun ang aming mga kasamahan na pinatay sa ilalim ng kaniyang pagkapangulo,” Tinio said.
Tinio said that there remains no justice for the victims of enforced disappearances during Arroyo’s leadership.
“Hindi namin makakalimutan yan. Wala pang hustisiya. Sa amin, napakalaking bahid o badiya sa institusyong ito kung gagawin siyang deputy speaker,” he said..
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate backed his colleague, and recounted the over 1,000 victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during the nine-year Arroyo administration.
“Hindi pwedeng kalimutan kung anong ginawa ni Pangulong Arroyo. Nine years siya, more than 1,000 ang victims ng extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Kung tayong nananawagan ng hustisya sa panahon ng diktaduryang Marcos, kailangang tuloy tuloy na panawagan ng hustisya sa panahon ni Arroyo,” Zarate said.
Gabriela Rep. Emmi De Jesus recounted Arroyo’s citation during her State of the Nation Address of retired major general Jovito Palparan, now detained as he faces a kidnapping, torture and rape case for the disappearance of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan.
Palparan was dubbed as “berdugo” or “butcher” for allegedly leading a spate of extrajudicial killings of suspected communist rebels.
“Yung kanyang State of the Nation, kinilala niya yung isang berdugo at implementor ng human rights violations na si General Palparan. Sa palagay ko, isang malaking bahid sa kaniyang leadershup,at kung itong Kongresong ito ay nandiyan siya, palagay ko tama yung kaniyang sinasabi na may batik talaga,” she said.
Federal system plan
In an interview after she led the donation of dialysis equipment to the VMMC Wednesday, Arroyo said she was nominated by the Central Luzon lawmakers as their deputy speaker.
Asked if this was part of the plan to divide Congress into federal states, Arroyo said: “Every region nominates its own deputy speaker.”
Arroyo said the plan to divide the House into 12 federal states is to test the waters for a federal system of government.
READ: House to form 12 states in federal bid
This means Arroyo would be leading the Central Luzon federal state as deputy speaker.
Presently, there are five deputy speakers chosen to represent the different political parties in Congress:
– Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan
– Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu, Nacionalista Party
– Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, National Unity Party
– Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, Liberal Party, and
– Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, Nationalist People’s Coalition.
“We had our lunch together and our president (Bulacan Rep. Linabelle) Villarica said she told our fellow members, we would like to nominate our former president to be represented as (deputy) speaker. Okay, okay, approve, approve!” an ebullient Arroyo said, laughing to herself.
When asked if her position of deputy speaker was final, Arroyo said confidently, laughing: “I would presume that nobody would object!”
Under House rules, a deputy speaker is an ex-officio member of all House committees. The deputy speaker is the second highest official in the House of Representatives.
The deputy speaker gets to preside plenary sessions in the absence of the Speaker.
Other duties under the rules include:
1. to assume the duties and powers of the Speaker when so chosen by a majority vote or by lot among themselves, as the case may be, in cases of absence or temporary incapacity of the Speaker, until such time that the Speaker returns to office and resumes work; and, in case of resignation, removal, permanent incapacity or death of the Speaker, until such time that a new Speaker is elected and qualified;
2. to preside over the session when, even if present, the Speaker does not preside, or has not designated any other Member as temporary presiding officer
3. to monitor, coordinate and facilitate action on measures filed, requests, and other concerns of Members representing constituencies to which they may be assigned by the Speaker
4. to recommend to the Speaker appropriate policies, strategies and programs of action to improve the process of legislation and the quality of legislative measures, and to effectively address concerns of Members on matters affecting them, their constituencies, and the overall operations and integrity of the House
5. to appoint personnel of the House when so authorized by the Speaker
6. to perform such other duties and functions as may be assigned or delegated to them by the Speaker.
The former President won a seat in the House as Pampanga congresswoman while in detention for plunder over the alleged misuse of P366-million intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office from 2008 to 2010.
She held office at the VMMC for the duration of the last Congress.
Arroyo walked free at 6:30 p.m. on July 22, after the Supreme Court dismissed her plunder case.
The High Court ruled that her approval of the release of the intelligence funds was only ministerial and did not constitute an “overt act” to commit plunder.
READ: SC: Arroyo OK on fund release not overt act of plunder | Arroyo walks free after 4 yrs of hospital detention
Meanwhile, her husband former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo faces a graft trial before the Sandiganbayan Seventh Division for allegedly selling two secondhand helicopters to the Philippine National Police and passing them off as brand new in 2009.
Mr. Arroyo has denied owning the two Robinsons R44 Raven I helicopters supposedly used by his wife in the 2004 presidential elections.
In the Fourth Division, the Arroyo couple are co-accused in a graft case involving a $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE.
READ: Arroyo denies graft charges in broadband deal with China firm