JDV wants Lakas, Kampi merger nullified

Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. on Tuesday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to nullify the "illegal" unification of administration parties Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi). In a 20-page petition, the erstwhile ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the merger was against the charter of Lakas-CMD since no national assembly was convened prior to the decision to merge with Kampi. De Venecia, one of Lakas-CMD's founders who quit his post as party president after he had a falling-out with the Arroyo administration, said the party also did not ratify the decision of its National Directorate to merge with Kampi as required by Lakas-CMD's constitution and by-laws. “Thus, the Lakas-CMD must be dissociated from Kampi, including the resulting merger since such a political marriage makes the constitutional breach of one party the act of another," the petition read. Named as respondents were President Arroyo, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Speaker Prospero Nograles, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno and presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio. All are officials of interim national executive committee of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, which formalized its merger last May 28. Apart from asking for the cancellation of the merger, De Venecia also asked the Comelec to nullify the designation of Mrs. Arroyo as chairman of the merged party, as well as the appointment of all the other interim officers.

'To salvage what is left' De Venecia claimed that his purpose in filing the petition with the Comelec was to salvage what was left of Lakas-CMD, which was the ruling administration party for years. “We, along with (former) President Fidel Ramos, founded this party and practically made it what it is now… We want to save our political party from its looming extinction," De Venecia told reporters. “The Comelec has the power and duty to step in and enforce the law not only to protect the party, but more importantly, the electorate, in line with the Commission’s broad and Constitutional mandate to ensure orderly elections," he added, quoting a previous Supreme Court order. Amado Valdez, De Venecia's lawyer, alleged that Lakas-Kampi-CMD plans to amend the 1987 Constitution as manifested by the passage of House Resolution 1109 by President Arroyo's allies at the House. “The grossest of the merged party is to amend the 1987 Constitution through a Constituent Assembly even without the participation of the Senate - a plan expressed through the passage of the resolution stealthily in the House of Representatives by its Lakas-Kampi majority. Resorting to unconstitutional means is a ground for the non-registration of a political party, or its revocation, as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution," Valdez told reporters. “In effect, this is expanding the fight versus Resolution 1109 because this party is pursuing the convention of Con-Ass," he added. Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said the poll body would immediately tackle the petition since it is of national significance. “This will have a preference, of course, because we will already be entering the campaign season soon," Melo said in a separate interview. In the previous elections, only the political parties duly accredited and recognized by the Comelec were allowed to field their candidates in all elective posts. The poll body would again have to accredit political parties for the 2010 elections. No right to complain But for Nograles, who sits as Lakas-Kampi-CMD's vice chairman along with Puno, De Venecia had no right to complain regarding the party's affairs as he is not a member in good standing. “JDV has no more business commenting about our political party as we have abolished Lakas and merged it to create a new political party with a new personality," he said. Claudio, meanwhile, said De Venecia’s opposition to the merger came late since the hearing for the registration of the merged party was held by the Comelec last July 16. Claudio added that De Venecia was probably just attempting to sow doubt among the ranks of Lakas-Kampi-CMD members, and to impede or delay the party’s selection process for its standard-bearer and other bets in the 2010 elections. “JDV is in estoppel legally and politically in filing this petition to question the merger. During the Comelec hearing conducted on the registration of the merged party last July 16, neither JDV nor anyone came forward to oppose the application," he said. Claudio pointed out that in January 1998, De Venecia himself was a signatory to a merger agreement between Lakas and Kampi in anticipation of his running for the presidency opposite then senator and Kampi president Gloria Arroyo, who ran as his vice president. Claudio said that while that the Lakas-Kampi agreement then had not been registered with Comelec, De Venecia had been “assiduously badgering and pressuring" members of Kampi to agree to a merger with Lakas. “It’s clear that JDV was passionately pushing for a merger when he was Speaker and Lakas president but did a complete turn around - denouncing and opposing the merger- after his ouster. Lakas-Kampi maintains that all requirements for the merger, both under the law and previous bylaws of both parties were complied with," said Claudio. - GMANews.TV