In line with my work, I have had a few audience with Speaker Jose De Venecia. Everytime he speaks, I regard him as an eloquent person. He speaks with such candor and magnanimity, which makes you drawn to him.
I am not particularly fond of him because of his unpopular stance in various policy issues. But then, he knows what he is talking about. I think he knew public policy by heart. He had the right mind on certain issues. He had the best connections to push the most controversial policies in the House of Representatives.
While watching him on TV delivering his privilege speech, I witnessed again how engrossed and how eloquently he delivered his message. Albeit, this time, he becomes the issue. While I am writing this, 145 Representatives have already voted against him for his ouster from the seat of the 3rd most powerful official in the land. Being most adept in policy concerns, perhaps, he knew his ouster was coming.
Honestly, it appalled me hearing and watching him enumerate the foibles of the Palace, and his alleged involvement in various controversial issues. My first reaction was,
"Now you are talking!" Is it because he is the one at stake? Probably, yes. Is this patriotic move hiding behind a cloak of personal and political agenda? Probably yes. Possibly, no. After all, politics is a turf issue, and one cannot just cower and hide under table when your person and your position is under attack. He has the right to defend his position. After all, he is the Speaker.
I am not in the position to give my analysis on how and why this has to happen. Leave it to the political science experts. As an ordinary citizen, I am more interested with his expose. While it may be too late a hero to expose the Presidency and its allies in its alleged lapses and involvement in various controversies, I realized something good was coming out of it, after all--
that is the unveiling of some hidden truths and burning issues that the Filipino nation must face.
What will happen in the coming days is for us to see. As JDV said, it is just the start and the Filipino people would expect more in the coming days. That is for us to hear and see.
After some period of stabilization, we are again riding a political roller-coaster. I just pray that this move to expose the Presidency's alleged shortcomings would do good for the country. Definitely, this move by JDV will turn tides. I just hope that many Filipinos would become more vigilant of those turncoat politicians who would take advantage of this situation, and that the people behind it would not resort to violence.
May God bless the Philippines!
