Rumors of another Senate coup

To be Senate president is to occupy the third-highest position in the Philippine government. My little birdie in the Senate and another in the Palace plus one more in the House confirmed there is real talk on ousting Senate President Chiz Escudero and replacing him with Senator Cynthia Villar.

This was allegedly being concocted by the presidential sister who apparently inherited the acumen of her late father in hatching political maneuvers. Politics is a game of numbers, not a contest of competence or credentials. Even Senator Lito Lapid, Robin Padilla, or Bong Revilla can rise to that post if the majority allows. With the vacancy created by Sonny Angara who went to DepEd and Ralph Recto now Finance secretary, there are only 22 senators. Thus, 12 is the majority.

My informers said Imee already has the signatures of Cynthia and Mark Villar, Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano, and Senators Bong Go, Bato de la Rosa, and Robinhood Padilla. Added to them are Migz Zubiri (to give Chiz an eye for an eye), and Loren Legarda who also lost her Senate pro tempore post. I also heard that even Francis Tolentino is in.

The 15 senators who voted to oust former Senate President Zubiri included the Cayetanos, the Villars, Go, Dela Rosa, Padilla, the action stars Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla, and showbiz/TV personalities Jinggoy Estrada and Raffy Tulfo. They were joined by Senator Grace Poe and, of course, Chiz and Imee Marcos. Zubiri’s ouster was triggered by the impression that he was too independent of the Palace for his own good. This time, Escudero’s ouster is going to be triggered by the impending impeachment of the vice president.

The planned coup against Escudero will most likely be supported by those who lost their Senate leadership posts by his ascension. They include the likes of Joel Villanueva and JV Ejercito. Angara is now DepEd secretary, Nancy Binay and Koko Pimentel are term-limited, and Risa Hontiveros is in the opposition. But if the ouster is done this week, then the coup plotters may already have the magic number of 12 or even more. If this happens, then we will have Cynthia Villar as the new Senate president. She will make history as the wife who rose to occupy her husband's former post.

Philippine history has many precedents in the election of Senate presidents: Quintin Paredes, a Liberal, was Senate president only from March 5 to April 17, 1952. Camilo Osias, a Nacionalista was only Senate president from April 17 to April 30, 1952. The same Senator Osias was elected Senate president again and held office from April 17 to May 30, 1953. Jose Zulueta, a Liberal from Iloilo, was elected Senate president and held office from may 30 to November 30, 1953. There were only two parties then, the Nacionalista Party of Quezon, Osmeña, Magsaysay, Garcia and Marcos, and the Liberal Party of Roxas, Quirino, and Macapagal.

After the EDSA Revolution, there were also sudden changes, Senate president Neptali Gonzales, LDP, held office only from January 18, 1992 to January 17, 1993. He was replaced by Ed Angara also of LDP who stayed only from January 18, 1993 to August 1995. Gonzales came back with a vengeance on August 29, 1995 but was replaced again on October 10, 1996. That time, it was Ernesto Maceda, NPC, who took over from October 11, 1996 to January 26, 1998. Gonzales staged a comeback coup on January 28, 1998 and stayed there only for six months or until June 30, 1998. Marcelo Fernan, LDP, was Senate president only for one year. He ran for vice president and lost.

Blas Ople held that office for one year in 1999. Frank Drilon stayed for four months in 2000. He came back in 2001 and held that office till 2006. For the third time, he was elected as such in 2013 till 2016. He made history as the only one elected Senate president thrice. Not even Amang Rodriguez or Ferdinand Marcos Sr. achieved that feat. But it was Manuel Quezon who held that office the longest from August 29, 1916 to November 15, 1935.

If Macron of France and Assad of Syria can be ousted, then Escudero can go. No one is indispensable. If the vice president is impeached, then Chiz is good material for the post of vice president. It has a precedent. GMA selected then Senator Teopisto Guingona Jr. as her VP. But Guingona later denounced her "Hello, Garci" scandal. But that is another story.