DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno should stop imposing his self-serving political scheme on KAMPI congressmen on the speakership issue and threatening ouster from the party Congressman Pablo Garcia otherwise we shall be constrained to demand that he be ousted from the cabinet, Congressman Luis R. Villafuerte, KAMPI national president said the other week.
Reacting to reports that Puno had asked that Garcia who is challenging Speaker Jose de Venecia for the speakership should leave the party, Villafuerte said the move smacks of arrogance from one who has the duty to support an aspirant for the speakership from his own party, KAMPI.
Villafuerte said it is also a veiled threat to other party members supporting Garcia and in so doing Puno is acting as if he owns KAMPI. Villafuerte said that he received reports from KAMPI congressmen that Puno is plotting to ease him out as party president and have him replaced by Puno.
“Since President Arroyo is not endorsing any candidate for speaker, Puno as a member of the cabinet should shut up, and follow the President’s call that the executive branch should respect the independence of Congress”, Villafuerte said.
“Since Puno is not a congressman he should not interfere in the individual prerogatives of duly elected congressmen especially the right to choose their speaker”, Villafuerte added.
Puno’s present actuations appear mysterious, Villafuerte noted. Puno who fancies himself as a political operator is again in his old disdainful game of undermining the coalition of parties under the administration.
Villafuerte said it came as a surprise that after undermining Lakas and other coalition candidates in the last election Puno has made a 360-degree turnaround by announcing support for Speaker de Venecia instead of supporting Garcia a colleague in KAMPI.
Villafuerte recalled that when Puno was a congressman he demanded an investigation on how and for what specific purposes house funds were being disbursed.
Puno particularly focused on the per meal cost of catering in the executive lounge of the House of Representatives and questioned the quantity and quality of food being served during session days, Villafuerte also recalled.
Puno also caused to be filed before the Supreme Court what he described as the unconstitutional acts of Speaker de Venecia in the allocation of seats in the Commission on Appointments (CA) and the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), Villafuerte said.
“The only time that Puno and de Venecia conspired together was when Puno used DILG facilities in barangay assembly meetings throughout the country to gather signatures for the de Venecia–instigated charter change which the Supreme Court declared tainted with fraudulent acts and procedural infirmities,” Villafuerte pointed out.
Villafuerte stressed that Puno’s threat to expel Garcia from the party will have serious repercussions not only in KAMPI but on the administration as well. Puno is the one to be disciplined, added Villafuerte.
Congressman Pablo Garcia is one of the most trusted allies of the Arroyo administration who has always been able to deliver the votes for the administration candidates in his area of responsibility, Villafuerte also said.
