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Friday, March 29, 2024

Aquino losing support in LP

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PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III is losing ground among Liberal Party members at the House of Representatives, as evidenced by the adjournment of Congress without the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law and other key administration bills.

“The failure of Congress to pass important pieces of legislation only shows that the President is losing its control over his men in the House of Representatives,” said independent bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who is also a lawyer and president of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa).

Romualdez said the breakdown of support among the President’s allies is a “natural thing, especially with the uncertainty of a strong presidential candidate [chosen by Aquino].”

But Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., LP vice chairman, maintained that the ruling administration party is not divided and is still in control of Congress, which will pass priority measures, particularly the BBL, when the third regular session of the 16th Congress starts on July 27.

“The LP and its coalition partners are still in control of the House,” Belmonte noted.

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A House leader allied with the Aquino administration, who declined to be named, said the President is indeed losing support, which prompted Belmonte not to proceed with the voting on Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 (RBH1), which is designed to lift the 40-percent limit on foreign ownership of public utilities, land and media.

“It was the first time that Speaker Belmonte campaigned very hard for charter change. Surprisingly, the supposed vote on third and final reading did not happen. We learned the Palace was disappointed why the bill was being pushed ahead of the BBL’s approval. There is a crack and deepening division among LP leaders in the House,” he noted.

The LP in Congress is also torn because of the possible presidential bid of Senator Grace Poe and Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, he said.

Palace allies identified with Roxas, including Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento, Iloilo Rep. Jerry Trenas, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and Caloocan City Rep. Egay Erice, remain loyal to the secretary, he said.

Other lawmakers also denied rifts within the party.

“That is baseless and unfounded. While agreeing to disagree is always part of democracy, the LP remains united and a formidable force come 2016,” Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said.

“The LP is still the strongest political party. It is united behind the President, contrary to what has been reported,” House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales of Mandaluyong City said.

Evardone, for his part, said “intrigues will continue because we are now four months away from the filing of certificates of candidacy [in October].”

According to Sarmiento, the division in LP is “not true and in fact almost all have attended the sessions.”

“There’s no such thing. LP is solid and it is the biggest political party and the grumblings [have to do with] local political dynamics,” Erice said.

“I am sure there will be movements in and out of the party, which is typical of our politics,” he said.

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