JDV thumbs down graceful exit, insists on a floor fight

Embattled House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr rejected Monday the so-called graceful exit offered by his detractors, saying he would rather fight it off on the floor to see who really has the numbers. "Ang sinasabi natin, kung meron silang ganoong numero iprisinta nila sa floor. Immediately in one to two hours malaman natin. Di yung mga manifesto, pirmahan-pirmahan (All I am saying is that if they have the numbers, they should show it on the floor. We'll have results in one to two hours. That's the way to settle it, not a manifesto)," De Venecia told dzMM radio in an interview. De Venecia said he is banking on his track record on floor fights, which he said he had repeatedly won since 1995. Supporters of Rep. Prospero Nograles Jr had advised De Venecia that a graceful exit will spare him the pain. In response, De Venecia said he is already in pain because of the daily attacks against him. "Ilang beses na ako nasaktan dahil sa mga pag-atake sa akin (I've been hurt so many times because of these attacks)," he said. De Venecia also said that should he lose to Nograles in the floor fight, he will be gentleman enough to raise Nograles' hand in victory, adding that he did that to Joseph Estrada when he won as president in 1998. "We are statesmen, we are not gangsters," de Venecia said. - GMANews.TV