It was another tumultuous weekend after the House of Representatives took centerstage with a supposed coup to wrestle the current leadership.
And before the fire went out of control, a former President turned Congresswoman suddenly was taken out of the inner loop and demoted from her senior deputy speaker position.
Cong. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo went from SDS to DS in a flash and was replaced by her fellow Kapampangan Rep. Aurelio Gonzales, purportedly to unburden her and allow her to focus more on her constituency.
It was supposed to be a simple House shakeup, perhaps a strategic one designed to pre-empt a supposed rumbling into a symphony of the caucus to change the speakership.
And it was supposed to end nonchalantly, as even FPGMA herself gave a very curt but perhaps loaded statement after the formal announcement of her demotion — “It is the prerogative of the House Speaker.”
But then came a stinger missile after the FPGMA re-shuffle — Vice President Inday Sara Z. Duterte tendering her irrevocable resignation as co-chair of the LaKas — CMD party.
It was an unexpected fallout, and one which reverberated not only in the august halls of Batasang Pambansa, but throughout the political spectrum, and suddenly that supposed innocuous change in the House became a national political crisis.
VP ISD’s eloquent statement on her resignation resonated so deeply throughout the political divide, especially with her expression of apparent disgust with “Political Toxicity” as well as the beautifully described “Execrable Political Powerplay.”
With that audacious expression of support to an embattled political ally, VP ISD emerged once more as a power bloc to reckon with.
She has already proven before how her simple statement can actually spur a change in leadership in the House, and the aftershock of her most recent one is still being felt as we write this.
And now we eagerly wait for the moves and countermoves which will now come into play.
Hopefully, this is a welcome distraction that may bring order to a national leadership that is now shaken to its core.
And by extension, we hope that at the end of the day, it will be in the best interest of the nation, and the Filipino people.
Mark my word.