Undaunted

by Lito Banayo

LAKAS CMD, which Makati’s Teddy Boy Locsin used to call the "party of thieves" when he was not yet cavorting with them in the less than august halls of the Batasan, and Kampi, that other party salivating to be the next "party of thieves", have joined cause – for now. According to news reports, they have assured Doña Gloria, through their party leaders Jose de Venecia of Bonuan Binloc in Dagupan, and Ronaldo Puno of Antipolo City, Pampanga, and Langley in Virginia, of 189 congressmen who will not affix their signatures to the impeachment complaint. Even their arithmetic is faulty, as soon you will see.

I faintly recall that the initial impeachment complaint against President Joseph Estrada was endorsed by 17 members of Congress. Then too, a congressman friendly to the beleaguered president prepared a resolution of support and loyalty, and moved around the Batasan. Each afternoon he would report to Malacañang, and show the president his growing list of signatures. At last count, sometime in the last week of October, the congressman showed me a list of 138 signatures, with more to come, kuno.

The previous Congress had 216 members. Today it has 236.

Skeptically I asked him, "Paano kapag nag-baligtaran ang mga iyan?" His reply was quick: "Hindi mo kami kilala, Lito. Kapag nag-commit na kami, we remain committed." I just looked at him, trying to suppress a smile, trying to lower an eyebrow instinctively arched.

Well, the dam started to leak with then majority floorleader Boyet Gonzales along with Vilma’s Ralph Recto, who announced their withdrawal of support from President Erap on All Soul’s Day of 2000. A few days later, the dam broke, with Speaker Manny Villar and his caboodle. The magic 72-signature threshold was surpassed. In another week, Erap was impeached, and the articles sent posthaste to the Senate.

As of Monday afternoon, when I last checked, 43 members of the House of Representatives had signed the impeachment complaint. In my book, they are the undaunted.

Some of them who the enemies of truth and decency probably thought were "soft" had been inveigled, cajoled, pressured even, not to sign. One of them was approached by a lady solon, and offered half a million in cash, 200 down, 300 after the complaint that would not contain his signature was filed with the House secretary-general. Plus a promise of 5 million in pork over and above the usual PDAF. The lady solon is a neophyte although she comes from a family of trapos, and married someone from another family of trapos.

She made the mistake of approaching someone whose political bloodline is of sterner stuff, being the grandson of the grand old man of the oldest political party in the nation’s history, and the son of a senator long deceased. He was undaunted.

One from Region 1, Imee Marcos of Ilocos Norte.

Three from Region 2: Henedina Abad of Batanes; Rodolfo Agbayani of Nueva Vizcaya; and Manuel Mamba of Cagayan. Yet no one from the Cordillera Administrative Region. The anitos have yet to be consulted.

Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora and Benigno Aquino III of Tarlac are the only signed names from Region 3. Region 4 has Proceso Alcala of Quezon (My belated condolences at the untimely death of your father, Ka Eming, the undisputed kingpin of Dalahican and Puerto in Lucena); Justin Marc Chipeco of Laguna; Lorenzo Tañada III of Quezon, son of friend Bobby, grandson of the venerable Ka Tanny; my kinakapatid Edmundito Reyes, son of ninang Carmencita of Marinduque; and Alfonso Umali Jr. of Mindoro Oriental, brother of my once best friend Rolando, who died in a plane crash in his early thirties.

From Region 5 we have the bright and articulate Francis Joseph Escudero of Sorsogon where the whales cavort, and the hard-working Joseph Santiago of wind-swept Catanduanes. The one and only signatory from Region 6 thus far is my good friend Rolex Suplico of Iloilo. Undaunted because furious is my friend Clavel Asas Martinez of Northern Cebu, and Jacinto Paras of the highlands of Negros Oriental. And singularly from the land of the Waray’s, my friend Dr. Reynaldo Uy of Western Samar. He too was inveigled by another Samareno, invited to a toney condominium unit for drinks and Samareno hospitality, but remained undaunted.

Solamente, de la muy hermosa Zamboanga, there is Erico Fabian. And two from Northern Mindanao, the articulate champion of environmental causes, Neric Acosta and the idealistic TG Guingona, son of Vice-President Tito, both from the cool and fertile plateau that is Bukidnon. Gikan sa Lungsod sa Dabaw, in the district where his late father Elias was so beloved, signed the feisty Ruy Lopez, the only one from Region 11.

From Region 12, the lovely but spunky Darlene Antonino Custodio, daughter of friend Adel of South Cotabato and just as spunky Lou of Kiamba in Saranggani. And Doctor Arthur Pingoy Jr. of neighboring Koronadal in Mindanao’s fertile plains.

And from my adopted Caraga, only my friend Ompong Plaza of Agusan del Sur, whose face has now become the signature icon of a television channel’s continuing coverage of the doña’s declining destiny.

From the National Capital Region, thus far, only five have signed. Agapito "Butz" Aquino, who rallied the middle forces to make a stake at Edsa Uno; Rufino Rozzano Biazon of Muntinglupa City where Toting Bunye was once a son to be proud of; Alan Peter Cayetano of Taguig and Pateros, the group’s knowledgeable spokesman; and the man who has always been on the right side of every Edsa past, Roilo Golez of Parañaque City, Romblon and Iloilo. All these gentlemen come from south of the Pasig, but for the chief prosecutor of the impeachment league, Ronaldo Zamora whose tiny San Juan is nestled in the northeastern tributaries of the same Pasig River the filth and stench of which infect the Byzantine halls of the Palace with the diseases of cheating, stealing and habitual prevarication.

The party-list representatives are even more undaunted. Most of them signed, but for two still waiting for signals from heaven, and one whose brother, I am told, was appointed to a seemingly innocuous government agency with plenty of juice.

Etta Rosales, a victim of martial rule; recently widowed Rissa Hontiveros Baraquel; and Mario Aguja of Akbayan; crusty Ka Bel, Crispin Beltran and his fiery junior in Anakpawis, Rafael Mariano. Liza Maza of Gabriela, appropriately named after the Ilocano heroine. Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casino and Joel Virador of Bayan Muna. Brother Eddie’s son, the young but articulate Joel Villanueva of CIBAC, and Baby Rodriguez Magsaysay’s pride, her son Eulogio Masaysay Jr. of AVE. And Rodante Marcoleta, who initially endorsed the original impeachment complaint. An Waray’s Florencio Gabriel Noel, once a busy-body assistant secretary in the presidential legislative liaison office. Last but not least, Mujiv Hataman, truly Anak Mindanaw, who rues the impression that Muslim Mindanaoans cheat elections, when as it has been discovered, only Christian Garci votes for the entire island.

As of this writing, the signatures of three more from NCR, the leader of which just planed in from abroad, are expected. One more from Bicolandia is likewise committed. Three are agonizing on a matter of high principle. They do not recognize the legitimacy of GMA as president, which explains why they would rather not impeach one who is void ab initio. But when push comes to shove, one could rely on my kabayan Benjie Agarao of Laguna, Rene Magtubo of Sanlakas, and Bai Sendig Dilangalen, the better half of verbose, never-say-die Digs of Maguindanao.

I shall not list down the others whose consciences are not for sale, whose loyalty to patria still transcends their fealty to Gloria. They are agonizing as they contemplate. But in the fullness of God’s own time, they too will join the ranks of the undaunted.

Despair not. Evil cannot triumph in the end. Else, what is the Almighty for?