Drilon says Palace out to unseat him; Villar won’t be ousted

The price of defection.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday he has received reliable information that Malacañang is plotting his ouster following his defection from the ruling coalition Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP).

At the House, the leader of the opposition doused cold water on speculations of a reorganization in the chamber that could result in the unseating of Speaker Manuel Villar Jr.

"We must not lose sight of the fact that the job at hand is to declare the presidency vacant, not the speakership," said Minority Leader Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (Lakas, Quezon City) yesterday.

Drilon, who severed last Friday political ties with President Estrada along with Senators Anna Dominique Coseteng and Rodolfo Biazon, said his information on the plot to oust him was corroborated by Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Drilon did not identify the possible nominees of the Palace as his successor.

At a press briefing last Saturday, Arroyo revealed that Malacañang was plotting Drilon’s ouster as Senate president.

Arroyo said she was supporting the present leadership in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Drilon, in a statement, said he still enjoys the support of the majority of his colleagues. "When I decided to break away from the ruling coalition, I fully realized that I was staking my Senate post. But to me, the national interest is always higher than personal and partisan well-being," Drilon said.

He said he planned to maintain the present chairmanship of the various committees in the chamber even as one of the chairmen volunteered to relinquish his post.

Drilon appealed to his colleagues to support his leadership as the chamber prepared to open trial of the impeachment case to be turned over by the House of Representatives.

Belmonte, on the other hand, said he is not aspiring for the top House post, and that Villar "has my full support and backing."

Belmonte made the assurance on the eve of the scheduled meeting of the House justice committee, which will tackle the impeachment complaint against the President for the first time since opposition congressmen and people’s organizations filed it last Oct. 18.

He said the new majority bloc in the House composed of minority members and Villar’s group of independents is inviting all congressmen, regardless of party affiliation, to endorse the impeachment petition.

"Every signature counts. Every vote matters. Our objective is to have a united House on this very important issue," he said.

He added that to have a "united front" on the impeachment move against the President is also the wish of the Vice President.

Lim to stay in Cabinet

In another development, Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim said he would stick it out with the Cabinet because it will give him the chance to serve the people.

And even if the President finally heeds the clamor for his resignation, Lim said he would still stay "for as long as the next President of the country needs my services as DILG chief."

Lim made his affirmation of loyalty to Mr. Estrada a day after thousands of people held a mass action pressing for Mr. Estrada’s immediate resignation to solve the political and economic crises.

Meanwhile, Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. clarified that he supports the move of Speaker Manuel Villar Jr. endorsing the impeachment case against the President.

Floirendo issued the clarification following reports saying he was not supporting the impeachment complaint.

"As a duly elected public official, it is my supreme duty to the country to serve the interest of our countrymen. This is the best way I can fulfill my pledge to my constituents," Floirendo said in a statement.

In another development, an urban poor organization assailed the use of religious rites in interfering with governmental affairs.

"Where on earth can one hear an ex-President deliver a highly political speech in the middle of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist? Only in the Philippines," said Lito Descallar, president of the Save the Poor Movement (SPM) based in San Pedro, Laguna.

Descallar said that those who attended last Saturday’s huge prayer rally at the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City organized by Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin did not represent the totality of the Filipino people.

"What about the Muslims? the Lumads? the indigenous cultural communities? Don’t they also have the right to be heard on these vital issues such as the presidency and the economy?" Descallar said.– Jess Diaz, Cecille Suerte Felipe