Politics behind Lorenzo’s ouster from Cabinet — Nene

Politics is behind last week’s resignation of Agriculture Secretary Luis "Cito" Lorenzo, opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said yesterday.

"It’s politics. It’s the culprit behind the forced resignations of Cito Lorenzo, Joey Lina (former secretary of the interior and local government) and (Social Welfare Secretary) Dinky Soliman," he said.

Pimentel said President Arroyo forced the agriculture secretary to quit because she lost in the areas in Mindanao where the Lorenzo family runs agricultural plantations and agriculture-based businesses.

"She lost in these areas, where she expected to win. And she’s taking it against Cito, who has performed creditably as agriculture secretary," Pimentel said.

In announcing his resignation that takes effect on Aug. 15, a teary-eyed Lorenzo said the President appointed him adviser on countryside development.

"It’s nothing. It’s what we call consuelo de bobo," said Pimentel, referring to the post that the agriculture secretary would assume when his resignation takes effect.

He said Lorenzo is also being blamed for the "fertilizer and pesticide controversy" that erupted during the election campaign.

Back then, independent opposition presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson revealed that Mrs. Arroyo ordered the release of P3 million to P5 million each to more than 100 congressmen and more than 50 governors and mayors supposedly for the purchase of fertilizer and pesticides to be distributed to farmers.

Lacson furnished journalists copies of documents showing that the fund releases totaled P728 million.

The project was actually a fund-raising scheme intended to generate money for the President’s election campaign and for her leaders in the provinces, the opposition senator said.

It was cooked up by Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante, one of many bureaucrats identified with First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo in connection with the controversy.

In the case of Lina, Pimentel has said the local government secretary was also forced to quit because the President lost in Laguna, Lina’s home province.

He said the days of Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan are now numbered since Mrs. Arroyo lost in Bulacan, too.

Opposition standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. defeated the President in these two provinces by a wide margin.

In Soliman’s case, her job had been promised before the start of the election campaign in February to then Sen. Noli de Castro, whom Mrs. Arroyo was courting to be her vice presidential running mate.

Pimentel said even in the two chambers of Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives, leadership posts and committee chairmanships will be "COC-based."

He was referring to the provincial certificates of canvass that the joint Senate-House canvassing committee recently tabulated. The tabulation showed Mrs. Arroyo defeated Poe by more than a million votes.

In the House, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda is laying claim to the chairmanship of the powerful committee on appropriations, the panel that scrutinizes the annual budget and which is now chaired by a fellow Bicolano, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr.

Salceda claims he has more right than Andaya to chair the appropriations committee since Albay gave Mrs. Arroyo the biggest margin over Poe among Bicol provinces, though it was former Bicol senator Raul Roco who topped the elections there.

Another powerful panel, the ways and means committee, is expected to go to Rep. Jesli Lapus of Tarlac, one of the few Luzon provinces where the President beat Poe.

In nearby Pangasinan, which the President claims as her second home province after Pampanga, she lost to the popular movie actor. Her loss in the vote-rich provinces of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. has become a cause of intrigue against De Venecia.