Charter change making Nograles unpopular - JDV

CEBU, Philippines - The persistent Charter change (Cha-cha) initiative of President Arroyo’s congressmen-allies is making Speaker Prospero Nograles unpopular, his predecessor said yesterday.

“People believe they are out to extend the President’s stay in office beyond 2010 through Cha-cha,” Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. told The STAR.

Rep. Teodoro Casiño of the militant party-list group Bayan Muna voiced the same observation.

“It has become a test of his leadership – whether he sides with the people or with GMA,” Casiño said.

De Venecia and Casiño were commenting on the results of the first quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), which showed that Nograles had a net rating of      -22, down by five points from -17 in the previous quarter.

“This is the lowest rating yet for Speakers of the House of Representatives since 1990,” SWS said.

It was in that year that SWS started asking people periodically about what they think of House speakers. It was the late Palawan Rep. Ramon Mitra Jr. who was Speaker in 1990. In fact, Mitra was the first Speaker of the post-martial law Congress.

Nograles shrugged off his negative ratings in popularity.

“I’m sorry, but the position I hold is not based on my popularity or based on survey satisfaction. Popularity is not one of the job descriptions of the Speaker of the House. There are many instances that I need to take unpopular positions,” he said.

“That’s part of my job. I have to bite the bullet if I believe it’s in the best interest of our people even if it’s unpopular,” he said.

De Venecia, who was Speaker for an unprecedented five terms or 15 years, said he had his “low points” in popularity, but he stressed his ratings did not plunge as low as those of Nograles.

“As far as I could remember, the lowest rating I received was -2, when Singapore executed Flor Contemplacion in 1995,” he said.