e knew the De
Venecia speakership was history before the voting to declare the top House post
started the other day. Joe de Venecia’s litany of the corruption and other
abuses of the Arroyo administration when he took to the floor on a personal
privilege showed he had burned his bridges. He knew the battle was lost and that
speech was his swan song.
We were surprised nonetheless by the 171 "yes" votes, 35 "no"
votes and 35 abstentions. Joe took pride in having served for five terms as
Speaker. He is president of Lakas-CMD, the biggest party in the ruling
coalition. On the personal front, he and Gina are "kumare" or "kumpare" to
probably half of the congressmen and "ninong" or "ninang" to practically the
remainder.
When push came to shove, only 35 of the House’s 140 members
stood by his side.
Let’s forget about those members who, when their names were
called, made an effort to explain their votes, whichever way these went. They
could not have totaled more than a fifth of those present.
Those who sank De Venecia were those who said "I vote yes"
without fanfare. With them reside the votes. And they know which side of their
bread is buttered.
Reforms in the House as promised by new Speaker Prospero
Nograles? We were not born yesterday.
Nograles has been a congressman and a Lakas party leader long
enough to know where real power lies. It is in Malacañang which releases – and
its obverse, impounds – funds. In fact, Nograles could not be where he is
sitting now were it not for Malacañang.
De Venecia had managed for quite a time to project the House
as enjoying some measure of independence from Malacañang. With his ouster and
Nograles’ assumption of the speakership, the illusion vanishes.
Here is displayed the House members in their utter nakedness – lapdogs of
Malacañang.
Protecting
human rights
T
he 120,000-strong
PNP marks today its 17th year with the theme "Mamang Pulis: Tagapagtaguyod ng
Karapatang Pantao sa Kapanatagan ng Mamayan." Policemen as protector of human
rights?
It’s easy to play the cynic, considering that the PNP has
still a long way to go before it could recover from its besmirched image. But
with the initiative for reforms coming from the PNP itself, we should not deny
it support for its efforts.
The PNP has yet to gain the people’s trust in its
investigation of extra-judicial killings. Suspicions remain that policemen are
lackadaisical in investigating the killings when the trail leads to state
agents. Yet to the credit of the PNP, only a very few cases of politically
motivated killings are blamed on its officers.
The PNP, we understand, has also launched a campaign to go
back to the basics of police work. On arresting and subduing suspects, for
example, it now stresses non-lethal ways and equipment. It has also fine-tuned
rules of engagement to prevent excessive use of force.
Small initial steps, perhaps. But any journey starts with the first step.
More important is the PNP’s commitment to the protection of human rights. The
police leadership should see to it the officers do not stray from the right
path.
