AN interesting political drama related to the Lower House leadership in the incoming Congress has started to evolve. Given the recent developments, the race for the next House Speaker post may become a legislative melee that will compel various partisan blocs to agree on new coalitions.
Amidst this development, the so-called ‘Sara Factor,’ which refers to the omnipresent clout pundits attribute to presidential daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, now hogs the headlines, putting the House Speakership race in a dizzying whirl.
The first salvo expected happened a few days ago when Mayor Sara turned down dethroned Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s peace and reconciliation offer. She thumbed it down and instead called him “a very dangerous, Machiavellian individual who does not deserve peace.”
The nasty remark did not just materialize from nowhere; it was traced to a videotaped statement of Alvarez who brashly threatened to embarrass Mayor Sara. With that, Alvarez’s star, unless supported by billionaire lobbyists, has started to dim. Even other House leadership contenders were not spared by the verbal venom Sara has been known to spew.
Recently, she also denied endorsing the speakership bids of Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, clarifying that her endorsements of their candidacies during the campaign sorties were in appreciation of their support for President Duterte’s agenda.
Even newly minted congressman, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano, Duterte’s tandem in the 2016 presidential polls, was also hit by Sara’s arrows. She took offense from Cayetano’s alleged ‘veiled threat’ to break up her Hugpong group during the campaign if she supported Velasco.
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Before it could take off, MMDA’s Provincial Bus Ban seems to have run aground.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda has sought a Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) against the ban which seeks to limit provincial buses up to Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Valenzuela City only. He said this will not solve EDSA’s chaotic traffic but will merely impose additional costs, inconveniences and hardships on poor ‘probinsiyano’ commuters.
Noteworthy in this case is why only Salceda has taken the cudgels for provincial commuters. How come other Luzon and Visayas lawmakers and LGU officials seem indifferent. Do they care at all for their constituents who will surely suffer from the “idiotic” ban?
As Salceda pointed out the ban will not solve EDSA’s traffic but will even worsen it.
