Cayetano’s Leni remark shows he is not “in” in Duterte’s power group

Signing of NP-PDP Laban alliance. Photo by Mindanews.

Signing of NP-PDP Laban alliance. Photo by Mindanews.

After Congress, acting as National Board of Canvassers, declared last Friday Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban as winner in the presidential contest and Leni Robredo of the Liberal Party for the vice-presidential race in the May 9 elections, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Duterte’s running mate, told media that a cabinet position awaits Robredo.

“Mayor Duterte is reviewing every day names and positions [in the Cabinet], and I think from Day 1 he has been thinking about what job can be given the Vice President-elect,” Cayenato said adding that the position to be given to Robredo would be “tailored to what we heard from her during the campaign that she would like to handle.”

Robredo had said during the campaign that she would be interested in a cabinet position that involved lifting the people from poverty.

The following day, in a press conference with Cayetano beside him (also in attendance was Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza and senator-elect Manny Pacquiao), Duterte said Robredo “never entered my mind,” in the forming of his cabinet.

“No, I don’t even know her! ..Why should I talk to her? I said I’ve not considered anything for her,” he said.

He said right now the names he has in mind are that of friends who helped him in his campaign. “I’m more worried about where I would place the friends na nagkautang ako ng loob,” he explained.

(In the presscon Tuesday after his meeting with those he has named to be part of his cabinet, he said he is not getting Robredo to be part of his cabinet because he doesn’t want to hurt Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, who lost in the vice-presidential race.
(Duterte said, the Marcoses supported him and he won in Ilocos Norte while he lost miserably in Bicol, Robredo’s turf. He also revealed that his father was a member of the cabinet of the late Ferdinand Marcos.)

In the March 29 presscon, while Duterte was denying what Cayetano said the day before, there was no hiding the embarrassment of the senator, who looked like a chastised schoolboy.

Where did Cayetano get the idea of Robredo’s appointment in the cabinet?

A review of Cayetano’s statement showed he based it on Duterte’s “earlier statements” saying that “ she’s welcome and that he will give a job to everyone who wants to work with him.”

It will be recalled that during the campaign, Duterte said if Robredo would not win he would make her “assistant president…..because she is beautiful“

This incident about the non-appointment of Robredo to the Duterte cabinet leads one to ask, “How “in” is Cayetano in the Duterte power circle?

Cayetano will be going back to the Senate as his legislative term is up to 2019. Duterte said he wants Cayetano to head the Department of Foreign Affairs and that his nominee Perfecto Yasay, Jr. will hold the position in an acting capacity, maybe until the one-year ban for losing candidates expires.

But is that the cabinet position that Cayetano desires, considering that he has higher political ambitions?

Also, sources said it‘s not true that Cayetano had something to do with the appointment of Mark Villar as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways. It’s the support of Manny Villar of Duterte during the campaign that got Mark the position.
A source said the Villars went for Duterte-Marcos in the last election.

Three members of the Nacionalista Party – Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, who was number two in the VP race, Cayetano (third) and Antonio Trillanes IV (fourth)- who ran for vice –president in the last election.

A keen political observer suggested to us to take a close look at the photos and video of the signing of the NP-PDP alliance a few days after elections in Davao.He said, “Take note of Cayetano’s facial expression.”
Let me take a look.

Gutter talk in the Senate is good

JPE. Thanks to Yahoo for this photo by Voltaire DomingoNPPA Images

Of course, what has been going on in the Senate the past weeks is disgusting.

But it is good that it is happening.

Alan Peter Cayetano standing up to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

If the controversy over the discriminatory distribution of Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile of the Senate Christmas loot – P1.6 million for the 18 senators and P250,000 for the four whom JPE does not like namely Senators Miriam Santiago, Antonio Trillanes IV, Pia Cayetano and Alan Cayetano- the public would not have known how they are skewered by the people they are spending billions on supposedly to serve them.

If Enrile didn’t become petty and arrogant and gave all the 22 senators, even including himself, the same amount, we would not have known that they are wallowing in excess funds while millions of Filipinos survive in a hand-to-mouth existence.

God, indeed, works in mysterious ways.

After his brilliant handling of the impeachment trial of disgraced Supreme Court Chief Renato Corona, Enrile was once more on the roll. He even launched his book, Juan Ponce Enrile: A Memoir, where he re-wrote history, with his version of his role in Marcos’ Martial Law.

He enjoys a “very good” (plus 65 per cent) satisfaction rating, according to the Sept. 2012 survey of the Social Weather Station.

His popularity has rubbed on to his son, Jackie, who is consistently in the top six of possible winners in the 2013 senatorial race. That despite the fact, that until the advertisement of the United National Alliance started running on television, people didn’t know how he looked.

I’m not sure if those who said they would vote “Enrile” for senator if elections were held today knew that it’s Jackie, not JPE, who is the candidate.

I imagine that Enrile thought of nothing of this Christmas bonus controversy. He has been through worse situations before and had come out on top. And besides, who are those four who dared stand up to him? He has belittled Santiago and Trillanes in several interviews.

Enrile is quoted in Facebook as having said, “Thy cannot destroy me as Senate President. My God, I have a national following.”

Last Monday, he did another “masterstroke”, when he resigned upon learning that a coup against his Senate leadership was in the offing. He took advantage of the absence of some senators and the division in the Liberal Party.

But Enrile’s masterstroke was actually a desperate act. He knows that he is losing this war. Reyes’ radio interview was a sign of desperation.

In that radio interview, Reyes called the Cayetanos “hypocrites.”

That riled up Alan Cayetano, who told Enrile in his Wednesday privilege speech, “For every lie that you told about me, I have a hundred truths about you and Ma’am Gigi.”

Cayetano went on and on: “ “Let’s call a spade a spade. Why are you personally upset with me? It’s because you and Attorney Gigi are close to the former President GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and the First Gentlemen” who the then congressman of Taguig-Pateros accused of having secret bank accounts in Germany.

Cayetano also said Reyes is also related to the Tingas who are political enemies of the Cayetanos in Taguig.

The exchange at Senate last Wednesday turned ugly and gutter- level.

Enrile actually used the word “gutter” which we equate to drainage or canal.

Standing up to counter Cayetano’s accusations of mismanagement of the Senate and mentioning the powerful role of his chief of staff, Atty. Gigi Reyes, Enrile declared, “I will not go down to the gutter.”

The younger Senator would not be intimidated by the former administrator of Marcos Martial Law: “You already did, Mr. President. You already went to the gutter. Your chief of staff has already gone to the gutter.”

This is good. Bring out what’s in the gutter, foul or vile. Maybe that would help clean the Senate.