The lawmaker who everybody perceives to be behind the unceremonious and contemptuous ouster of FPGMA as Senior Deputy Speaker, and who is fast getting the monicker “Congressman Tambaloslos”, rightly or wrongly, that put to extreme embarrassment and humiliation the Chair Emeritus of his party Lakas-CMD whom he heads as President, with the outraged and pissed Vice-President and concurrent Secretary of Education, as the National Chairperson, initially kept mum on the removal but later on impliedly admitted it when he made a statement to the media that “any destabilization in the House should be nipped in the bud.”
The destabilization of course referred to the rumored planned plot to remove him from the Speakership.
The plot, which may have been foisted intentionally to justify the fall, was strongly denied by the FPGMA.
One “inside story,” says that a female congresswoman told FPGMA that there were several congressmen who are unhappy with the Speaker because their share in the congressional perks have been slashed.
The female lawmaker allegedly also told FPGMA that LAM (First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos) had consented to the Speaker being changed.
Thereafter, as the story goes, the same congresswoman went to LAM and whispered to the latter that FPGMA was plotting to oust the Speaker.
In this version, it would appear that the spreader of the bogus scenarios was sowing intrigue to the key players to make the erstwhile allies head for a collision course.
One political pundit says that it is more believable that this early the Speaker is already laying the foundation for a run in the 2028 presidential election, and gradually eliminating the forces that may likely be his adversaries when the time comes.
It is no secret that FPGMA is fond of Inday Sara and that the former went all out for the latter during the last elections. She certainly would want VP Sara to succeed PBBM.
While the latter has always been quiet and enigmatic with her future political plans, there is no denying that from the looks of it — the convergence of circumstances, will compel her to seek the presidency, which was at her taking during the last elections, had she wanted to, as shown by the election surveys that placed her at the totem pole among the various presidential candidates, but due to compelling personal reasons, and to the overwhelming despair of her millions of followers and admirers, she opted to slide down to the vice presidency, which decision naturally threw a monkey wrench to the well laid plans of the then dominant political party of the previous administration.
Every indication points to the Speaker preparing for a presidential run in 2028. He has been very visible at the inception of the Marcos Jr. administration.
He was always with PBBM on all his official trips abroad. He makes sure that in every photo opportunity, he is seen beside the President.
He is also with the President in every major official and social event that the Chief Executive attends.
He is always profuse in praising the PBBM with the latter’s vision and programs for the country and trumpeting the travel trip’s successes of the President every chance he has, even beating the Malacañang press office to the draw.
Wittingly or otherwise, the President may by his silence encourage his first cousin to keep traversing the course he has taken.
His non-interference on the axing of his “secret weapon” in the matter of his foreign relations with China, seems to validate this view. Keen observers opine that the fact that FPGMA was removed from her previous position is a telltale sign that he approved of it.
Whatever may have caused or precipitated the forced hasty departure of FPGMA from her honorific but exalted position in the House, certainly birthed the realignment of the political forces that will alter the present political landscape.
(To be continued)