Is the speaker a vindictive trapo?

The way the House leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is marginalizing former president and former Speaker GMA is a palpable evidence showing the streak of vindictiveness in the blood of the president's favorite first-degree cousin. And the way Romualdez unabashedly kisses the hand of GMA, apparently just for show, inside the plenary session hall of Congress while his men work relentlessly to push the former to the periphery makes me blush in utter consternation

When GMA went to Korea with a group of her close allies in Congress, the House leadership forthwith stripped her of her honorific post as senior deputy speaker of the House. The speaker's inner core group suspected that GMA was in the process of plotting another coup d’état against the House leadership, in the same style that the former president surreptitiously ousted former speaker Bebot Alvarez in collaboration with then Davao City mayor Sara Duterte. The cavalier ouster of GMA by the henchmen of Romualdez pushed the vice president to resign from the party in power. From that time on, Inday Sara started calling someone in the Lower House "tambaloslos".

Then the political plot thickens. The House majority led by Romualdez denied the vice president's proposal for Confidential and Funds for the DepEd that she heads and for the Office of the Vice President. As a knee-jerk reaction, former president Duterte publicly announced that he was asking the COA to audit the members of the House leadership on their alleged own CIF disbursements. The stage father of a beleaguered daughter was virtually declaring war against Romualdez. If Romualdez were a gentleman, he could have called Inday Sara's dad and invited him for coffee. But he seems to be made not of sterner stuff. He succumbed to the impulse of lesser mortals.

Supposedly because of the threats made by former president Duterte, the sycophants among the trapos in the House allegedly prepared a resolution declaring their total and unconditional support for Romualdez. Of course, GMA wouldn’t be expected to sign such a purely political document considering that Romualdez' putative opponent in 2028 would be GMA's cherished "alaga", the vice president. What did Romualdez do knowing that GMA snubbed the resolution? In a matter of a few hours, GMA was ousted again from her post as deputy speaker and replaced peremptorily by a member of the Solid North, Congressman Tonypet Albano.

And to complete the total strategy of vindictiveness of the House speaker's leadership, they also stripped deputy speaker Isidro Ungab of his similar leadership post, without even previously informing him by way of courtesy. What was Ungab's only offense? Well, like GMA did not sign the resolution of total support for Romualdez. He also happens to be totally loyal to the Dutertes, being a representative of one of the districts of Davao City. It would appear then, that the House leadership believes in Sun Tzu's principle that the friend of your enemy is your enemy as well. But this kind of cavalier vindictiveness is an indubitable indication of what kind of person and leader is Romualdez.

We are by no means an admirer of the vice president, nor do we subscribe to the principles and policies of GMA. But the way Romualdez is trying to hurt these two women in a cavalier and high-handed fashion is hurting him much more than it hurts the two women. By his vindictive actions, Filipinos should be forewarned what kind of person and leader this future presidentiable is. In fairness, BBM is not as vindictive and as high-handed. And Senator Imee shows a better streak of statesmanship. She seems not appreciative of her cousin's style of politics. In fact, the elder sister of BBM declares openly that she is for Inday Sara any place and any time and remains a great admirer of Digong. She is forever indebted to Duterte for allowing the burial of FM's remains in the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. I think in 2028, Senator Imee may be torn between blood and water.

And for us, between two undesirable candidates, Inday Sara and Speaker Martin, for president, Raffy Tulfo may yet turn out to be a better option. But in my case really, if these three are the only choices: Sara, Martin, and Raffy, I better transfer my residence somewhere to Ukraine or to the West Bank or Gaza. I do not want to be caught in between Scylla and Charybdis, worse than between the Jews and Hamas.