Christmas in October!

It must really be nice to be a congressman in the President’s party. If the statements Cong. Antonio Cuenco gave in a radio interview are true with regards to the “Christmas money” he supposedly received at the breakfast meeting in Malacañang, then we should all try and become candidates in the next elections!

The number “2” and its multiples must really be in good feng shui nowadays. 200 million here, 2 million there, 200,000 everywhere, hohoho! Merry Christmas everybody! According to Cuenco in the interview, he was given an envelope containing P200,000 in cash. This was during a breakfast meeting last Thursday at Malacañang. A meeting called by the President. A loyalty check perhaps? What’s bizarre is after admitting to receiving the money, his demeanor changed drastically and started avoiding the issue altogether, at times irritated. Perhaps he realized the implications of his reckless utterances.

President Arroyo must be wishing to wring the good congressman’s neck right now. Two other congressmen have confirmed that they indeed received envelopes in that breakfast meeting, but asked not to be identified. It really is extremely difficult for 150 or more people to shut up after accepting a practical bribe. By the law of averages alone, at least one will spill the beans. Or, shall we say, the pork and beans?

The timing of such generosity is also noteworthy, now that a new impeachment case against the President has been forwarded to the house committee on justice. This third attempt to impeach Arroyo is by the crafting of an Atty. Ruel Pulido — an otherwise impressive lawyer (according to fellow lawyers) — who produced what the opposition agree is a remarkably weak case deliberately meant to pre-empt any stronger version that may create a formidable wave against Arroyo. This version effectively immunizes her against a more potent case for a whole year. I wonder how much was in Jose De Venecia’s envelope, if he received any?

Over the past few days, an unseen hand has been trying to drive a wedge between JDV and the President. And although both realize that their individual political survival rests on each other, an atmosphere of betrayal and mistrust prevails. The move of Speaker de Venecia in allowing Cong. Raul del Mar to endorse the weak impeachment document to the House Justice Committee in a hurry (deadline is still in mid-November) betrays de Venecia’s earlier pronouncements that he is staying neutral on the matter. That luncheon with GMA on the eve of the endorsement by Del Mar inked that deal. All JDV could do to try to save face was to declare the next day that he was “inhibiting” himself from the proceedings related to the impeachment bid.

The fat lady has not sung just yet. On October 25 former NEDA Director, man on the hot seat Romulo Neri, goes back to the Senate for another grilling intended to extract from him that conversation he had with GMA about the ZTE deal. Prayer vigils outside his house add to the growing pressure on Neri. Star columnist Jarius Bondoc revealed in a supposed conversation with Neri that Neri did admit President Arroyo asked him to approve the deal. This is all the public — and the opposition — is waiting for.

GMA’s house has turned into a deck of cards. And if all the allegations of bribery and monetary dole-outs are true, then it is the only thing holding the Arroyo Presidency together for now. I guess this sort of adhesive is in good supply. Come to think of it, it is the President who has received the early Christmas gift — immunity and support — by those who lose their souls for a few pieces of silver.

Unless Halloween has something to say about it first.