President Arroyo, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and former President Fidel Ramos agreed to end their differences during a crucial meeting last Saturday night that also consolidated the ranks of the ruling Lakas-Christian and Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and assured the House leader that he will not be ousted from his post.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo called for a caucus of Lakas-CMD leaders in Malacañang to chart the party’s directions for 2010 and beyond.

The meeting was also attended by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar, House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor, Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, League of Municipalities and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines head Ramon Guico, League of Cities chairman Jerry Trenas, League of Provinces president Loreto Ocampos and Bunye.

Mrs. Arroyo acknowledged the differences among the top party leaders as well as the existence of efforts to oust De Venecia as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“Let this day douse all rumor and speculation that this government is divided. It is strong and focused on the business of the people. We ask our people to join us in our journey to a future of national stability, peace and solidarity,” Mrs. Arroyo said in a statement.

She described the meeting as warm, constructive and forward looking. “We agreed to revitalize the administration coalition behind our vision,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo is national chairman of Lakas-CMD while Ramos is chairman emeritus, and De Venecia is president of the party.

The top three party leaders were reportedly bickering in the last few months amid fresh impeachment moves against Mrs. Arroyo in the House and efforts to unseat De Venecia.

“Leadership controversies within the legislature shall be put to an end as we reinvigorate the tools of a strong executive-legislative partnership such as the LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) and the NSC (National Security Council),” she said.

The rift between the President and De Venecia was reportedly triggered by the attacks made by the Speaker’s son —businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III —against Mrs. Arroyo, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and other administration officials over the scrapped $329-million national broadband network (NBN) project that the government forged with ZTE Corp. of China.

Ramos, on the other hand, has criticized Mrs. Arroyo for granting pardon to former President Joseph Estrada, who was convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mrs. Arroyo said the Lakas leaders agreed not to let their differences get in the way of her administration’s programs.

Among those key agreements during the meeting was the formalizing of an action plan, earlier drafted by De Venecia, the Arroyo administration would implement in the next 100 days that would deliver the most impact to the people in terms of governance and reform, officials said.

“It was the sentiment of the party leaders that teamwork in nation-building, unity of purpose, solidarity in values should always prevail and not allow small hurts to get in the way of staying as one family and fulfilling our hopes for the people,” she said.

“We agreed on a process of national consolidation, gathering all our allies around the common vision. Our common vision is based on a coalition of principle and action,” she said.

She reiterated the administration aims to bring the Philippines to first world status in 20 years. “By then poverty shall have been marginalized and the marginalized raised to a robust middle class.

“We will have achieved the hallmarks of a modern society, where institutions are strong, characterized by responsible citizenship and responsible governance,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

Safe for now

This developed as House leaders assured the Speaker that he would most likely keep his job today when Congress resumes session despite the fact that some Arroyo loyalists have been raring to unseat him.

“I think he’s safe, for now. The alleged plot to oust him tomorrow (Nov. 5) when we reconvene will not take place,” Deputy Majority leader Gonzales II told The STAR yesterday.

He believes that De Venecia would keep his post for as long as he does not exacerbate the supposed rift between him and the President that was created by the Senate testimonies of his son Joey over the alleged bribery of government officials who brokered the now scrapped $329-million NBN contract with ZTE.

“He should not also alienate his House allies in pushing for his moral revolution advocacy,” he said.

Another senior House leader, Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, said there is no move in the Lakas-led administration coalition in the House to oust De Venecia.

“I don’t think there is any move to replace or remove the Speaker from his position. All this talk about a shake-up on Monday, it’s not going to happen. There will be no fireworks,” he said.

He said he was present in a meeting of Lakas leaders presided over by Mrs. Arroyo on Saturday, and that he did not sense from the President that she wanted the Speaker to be replaced.

Those who attended the meeting included De Venecia, who is Lakas president, and former President Ramos, party founder and chairman emeritus. Mrs. Arroyo chairs the ruling party and is founder-titular head of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), which is regarded as the second ruling party.

Mrs. Arroyo’s Kampi loyalists have been raring to unseat their House leader. They want to punish him for the testimonies of his son that were damaging to the President and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.

The young De Venecia, major stockholder of Amsterdam Holdings Inc. (AHI) that lost the NBN project to ZTE Corp., exposed the alleged bribery of top government officials involved in the allegedly anomalous broadband project deal.

The young De Venecia had also implicated resigned Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos and Mr. Arroyo in the controversy.

De Venecia III bared that Abalos who was allegedly brokering for ZTE Corp. offered him $10 million in exchange for AHI’s withdrawal of the firm’s bid for the NBN project.

De Venecia also claimed that Mr. Arroyo allegedly told him to “back off” from the project.

In his latest testimony, the young De Venecia claimed that based on his conversation with former economic planning secretary Romulo Neri, Mrs. Arroyo asked Neri why he did not accept an alleged P200-million bribe offer from then Comelec chairman Abalos.

Abalos, who was forced to quit as Comelec chair in the wake of Neri’s bribery allegation, denied that he made the offer.

Neri clarified that De Venecia III’s account of their conversation was inaccurate. He insisted that when reported the supposed bribe offer to the President, she told him not to accept it.

He refused to reveal the other parts of his conversation with Mrs. Arroyo, saying it is covered by “executive privilege.”

The young De Venecia also claimed that Mr. Arroyo expects to receive $70 million in commissions from the contract the government awarded in April to ZTE.

Mrs. Arroyo’s husband has dismissed the claim as a “fairy tale.”

The President however canceled the government contract with ZTE following the public outcry over the alleged bribery involved in the deal.

The young De Venecia has been quiet since Oct. 25, when he last testified before senators.

The President’s Kampi loyalists, meanwhile, are apparently not moving yet to “punish” De Venecia for his son’s accusations against the Arroyos by unseating him. 

Reached by text yesterday, Representatives Amado Bagatsing of Manila and Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of Cavite, who both belong to Kampi, said there is no move on the part of their party to oust the Speaker.

“We have not been meeting since before the break. We have been busy with the Oct. 29 barangay-Sangguniang Kabataan elections,” Barzaga said.

Bagatsing said though De Venecia would keep his post for now, “his removal is only a matter of time. I think it will happen sooner than later,” he said.

In a related development, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula urged Mrs. Arroyo yesterday to heed the suggestion of former President Ramos that she meet with Ramos and former Presidents Estrada and Cory Aquino on how to solve the political crisis.

“She should welcome that proposal. Instability on the political front is pulling down our capacity for faster economic growth,” Jaraula, a former congressman, said in a phone call to The STAR.

Isabela Rep. Faustino Dy III urged De Venecia to reveal his true standing in his relationship with Mrs. Arroyo.

“The Speaker cannot just keep mum about the matter, especially to his son’s allegation of wrongdoing by some Palace officials, including relatives of the President on the ZTE deal and his own call for a moral revolution,” said Dy. – With Charlie Lagasca