On December 23 2008, I was at The Podium Mall in Ortigas district of Mandaluyong City to have lunch with close friends. The same day coincided with the Book launching of Jose de Venecia on the second floor of the Mall, title Global Filipino: The Authorized Biography of Jose de Venecia Jr. I obliged to see the event to hear Congressman de Venecia talk about politics and was expecting him to tell-all what he know about the alleged corrupt practices of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a former staunch ally, which did not happen. Unknown to me (i'm in the left picture in yellow polo and navy blue slack) it was attended by former Presidents and other politicians that have been critical of the administration of President Gloria Macapal-Arroyo. In the book launch event Congressman De Venecia a former five-time House Speaker discusses about the economic condition of the Republic in his first opening statements. He address various conditions that the Republic is facing and experiencing as well as comparing the economic conditions of other Asian countries which the Philippines is lagging behind.By the way who is Jose de Venecia? He is a career politician, congressman representing the 4th District of Pangasinan. Was Speaker of the House of Representatives on the Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses of the Philippines, and briefly on a short term on the Fourteenth Congress until February 5, 2008, 174 representatives, or a considerable majority of members of the House, voted to remove Jose de Venecia as Speaker. He was succeeded by Prospero Nograles who replaced the prior at height of NBN anomaly (National Broadband Network) on alleged involvement of the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Husband and inner circles. Congressman Jose de Venecia is a strong ally of former President Fidel Ramos and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Now on the opposition side, to tell-all in his book the alleged corruption practice of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was the former president of the country's dominant party LAKAS-CMD whom he founded along with former President Fidel Ramos that help Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo propel to presidency.
The book is a biography of Congress Jose de Venecia and alleges the corruption in the Arroyo administration, written by Brett Decker. I have seen the cover of the book and but not much in details.
Seated in the front row right side wing was former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada, Congressman Jose de Venecia, Congressman Zamora a staunch-ally of Estrada, while visibly at the left is former vice president Teofisto Guingona. While taking photograph of the event, I did not realize that former President Aquino was seated on the front row and was not noticeable because she was dressed in red, instead of the usual yellow the she used to be in most of her public appearance. She appears vibrant despite of reports that she is battling cancer. Former President Aquino gave a brief talk not much about the book launch, but mainly on a degree to which she publicly make apologize statements to
former President Estrada, for supporting to removed him nearly eight years ago on popular uprising EDSA 2. She also congratulated Congressman Jose de Venecia for coming out in the open to finally to denounce the allegedly rampant graft in the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She left early after she gave her talk and was escorted
by former President Estrada himself to her vehicle.
Sufficient to say former President Aquino has a long standing reputation for fighting against corruption. Indeed former President Aquino's public apology is the highlights of Congressman Jose de Venecia book launch. As news reports came out the following day former President Estrada is said to have told the press that he had accepted former President Aquino's apology and forgives not only her but Congressman Jose de Venecia who help remove him from his presidency in January 20, 2001, over alleged corruption in his administration. If the turn of events had been that there is no allegation of grand corruption and there is good governance in the administration of President Arroyo, former President Aquino for sure would not make any apology statement to former President Estrada whose own administration is ridden with scandals, anomaly, corruption, and inept governance. Former President Aquino should have not put her integrity at stake at all. In her talk looking direct to former President Estrada, “Lahat tayo nagkakamali, patawarin mo na lang ako [We all make mistakes, forgive me],” she said. True enough we all had our moment of mistakes but because the corruption in the administration of former President Estrada is not grand as opposed to the administration of President Arroyo, she has to switch side or flip-flop, she should just remain independent believing that both side, the current opposition associated with former President Estrada and administration of President Arroyo does not merit to have the integrity of good governance. On each of her sentence she drew applause from the audiences. It is interesting to note that former President Estrada had not lost his comedian trademark appeal such that on his talk he draw not applause but elicit laughter from the audiences. Some quotes or talk from former President Estrada are as follow and may not be the exact word:
We both stood up and fought for our convictions. Going through his book, I could
see that JDV is a man of conviction, just like me. The only difference is that I
am a certified man of conviction because I was convicted.
So my advice to Speaker De Venecia today is that if you want to be a certified man of
conviction, wait for your turn.
But I suspect, it is not only I who may have had a headache reading JDV's biography. I suspect Malacañang had a bigger headache.
