PHILIPPINES NEWS SERVICE — THE newly-resigned president of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) has declared that the cleansing of the House of Representatives has been done already following the democratic ouster of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. in February 2008.
This was the reaction of Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte to De Venecia’s tirades that the cleansing in the government, particularly the House of Representatives, Senate and members of the Cabinet, should be given top priority over any other thing like the Charter change (Cha-cha).
Villafuerte alleged that De Venecia was the source of the so-called “political corruption” in the House of Representatives.
“The cleansing of the House is almost complete with his ouster as Speaker, the former Speaker being the source of political pollution in the House,” said Villafuerte.
If ever the cleansing is not yet over as De Venecia was saying, Villafuerte said the purging in the Batasan complex should be done among the former Speaker’s appointees at the House of Representatives.
But Villafuerte did not mention names whom he was referring to as De Venecia’s appointees who are still holding important positions in the House of Representatives.
“If there are still cleansing to be done in the House, it is the removal of the House officials who have been appointed to office as a result of his long incumbency as Speaker,” said Villafuerte.
Villafuerte resigned as Kampi president along with Speaker Prospero “Boy” Nograles Jr. who also left his post as president of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) to give President Arroyo a free hand to merge the two largest political parties in the country.