BY WENDELL VIGILIA

REP. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo (Lakas, Pampanga) yesterday denied the claim of Speaker Jose de Venecia that President Arroyo still supports his leadership, saying his mother will not meddle in a purely internal House matter.

"Why is JDV hiding under PGMA’s skirt?" he asked.

The presidential son said that while he was not present during De Venecia’s "supposed" meeting with the President on Thursday, he said his mother "will respect the difference between the Executive and the Legislative branches of the government."

"If the President will call anyone in the House to stop the move to replace Speaker De Venecia, she will call me and my brother Dato after we publicly expressed our support for change in leadership," Mikey said.

Mikey also scoffed at the Speaker’s move to seek his mother’s support despite the supposed damage that his son Joey has done.

"Didn’t he even praise his son when Joey III peddled baseless accusations against her (the President) and her family?" he said.

Jose "Joey" de Venecia III last year accused presidential spouse Jose Miguel Arroyo of telling him to "back off" from the $329 million national broadband network deal.

Mikey, his brother Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo of Camarines Sur, and their uncle Ignacio Arroyo of Negros Occidental were among the 134 congressmen who reportedly signed a manifesto of no-confidence against De Venecia.

Supporters of the oust-De Venecia move have claimed they expect a new Speaker to be installed by Monday.

In radio interview, De Venecia claimed the President wanted to meet him to assure him of her support.

"Inimbita ako ni Presidente at ni (Executive) Secretary (Eduardo) Ermita at (Trade) Secretary (Peter) Favila, so nagpunta kami ni majority leader Art Defensor kahapon, at nag-meeting kami ni Presidente Arroyo," he said.

De Venecia said he was very thankful to the President for saying "in strong terms that she would not support the bid of (Davao Rep. Prospero) Nograles."

De Venecia also said that the President assured him that she would talk to Mikey and Dato who are supporting Nograles.

A source however said making De Venecia believe that the President is still solidly behind him is the whole essence of Malacañang’s plan to remove the Speaker.

"It was a good cop-bad cop operation with no less than PGMA playing the good cop while the rest of the family plays the bad cop," the source said.

The same source said the plan is for the President to give De Venecia "a dose of his own medicine" by claiming that she has no control over her House allies just like the Speaker saying he has control over his son Joey.

The President’s congressmen allies initiated efforts to remove De Venecia last September following Joey’s accusation against the First Gentleman.

De Venecia and the President’s political relationship turned sour after Joey claimed that Mr. Arroyo stood to benefit from the anomalous broadband deal.

Rep. Kahlil Abraham Mitra (NPC, Palawan) said by seeking the President’s help, the Speaker did a "lowly act."

Mitra said De Venecia knows very well that he has already lost the needed support to retain the speakership and is merely resorting to propaganda.

Mitra said De Venecia "is also sending the wrong message that President Arroyo is running the affairs of Congress."

"I thought he has the numbers? Why would he go to Malacañang and almost beg for the President to support him? This only shows that he is already desperate," he said.

"Dalawa lang yan. Either binobola lang ng Presidente si JDV o binobola lang tayo ni JDV. Mas malamang na binobola lang tayo ni JDV dahil yan ang madalas na ginagawa nya kahit sa mga kasamahan niya dito sa Kongreso," Mitra said.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte accused De Venecia’s camp of embarking on a full-blown disinformation campaign by claiming that the President is backing the Speaker.

"On the contrary she (Arroyo) has given the impression that she will not interfere in the House Speakership issue as it is an internal affair of an independent constitutional body," said Villafuerte, president of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino.

Nograles said none of the Lakas leaders who De Venecia claimed supports his stay as Speaker had talked to him to back off.

"The writing on the wall is clear. Time is up for Speaker Jose de Venecia who has become a lonely cowboy at the House of Representatives and even within Lakas."

Nograles, chair of the 12-man House contingent to the Commission on Appointments and former majority leader, also hit back at De Venecia for calling him an "ingrate." "We fought everyone else for him (De Venecia). If he was not elected Speaker, he could not have named us there too."

De Venecia, in a radio interview, had insisted that he was the one who made Nograles and not Malacañang. "Hindi naman Malacañang ang nag-nombra sa kanya e. Ako ang nag-nombra sa kanya," he said.

De Venecia blamed Malacañang for creating a "monster" of Kampi which he said has become a constant threat to his leadership and the ruling Lakas-CMD of which he is president.

Davao del Sur Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas IV denied that Kampi and other political parties in the House are "raiding" the ranks of Lakas-CMD to gather enough forces to oust De Venecia.

"The move to oust De Venecia cuts across all party lines in the House and is an expression of a general clamor from all members of the lower chamber regardless of party to effect a change for a better, more effective and more responsive leadership."

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo has invited the concerned parties to play golf at the Malacañang Park around 7 a.m. Sunday.

Bunye said the "friendly game" and "social event" would be attended by De Venecia, former President Fidel Ramos (Lakas chairman emeritus), Ermita, and other congressmen including Nograles and Cabinet members.

He said the President would join them at around 10 a.m. A press conference is supposed to follow at around 11 a.m.

Nograles told a radio interview he would not be able to attend due to another engagement. – With Regina Bengco