Former Senate President Franklin Drilon today described the pseudo-Liberal Party anniversary bash hosted by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza at the Manila Hotel as a “Comedy Central production” which only confirmed suspicions of a mutually-convenient affiliation of Atienza’s group with the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party.
“Once again, Atienza and his merry bunch of Arroyo supporters have shown the country that their LP stands for ‘Lakas Pala.’ We are not surprised,” said Drilon, who relinquished the LP presidency to Sen. Mar Roxas during a meeting of the party’s National Executive Council (Neco) last November.
“The presence of House Speaker Jose de Venecia and other Lakas stalwarts at the Manila Hotel only showed the true political color of Atienza’s group,” Drilon added. “I am surprised that Speaker de Venecia did not administer Atienza’s oath as the new Lakas-NCD national chairman. Remember that his partner, Mike Defensor, already joined Lakas when he run for senator last year.”
“This pseudo-LP meeting had all the makings of Comedy Central production,” Drilon further said.
At the same time, Drilon urged Atienza to refrain from using the LP as “props for his selfish personal political ambitions” and instead allow the party to effectively pursue its pro-people agenda under Roxas.
Drilon was reacting to reports that the Manila Hotel meeting was actually Atienza’s ploy to gather Manila’s barangay captains to start of a campaign for a recall election petition against incumbent Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.
“The reports were are getting from the field indicate that the LP meeting was merely a camouflage used by Atienza to get the various barangay captains and kagawads under one roof and start a recall petition campaign against Mayor Lim,” Drilon added. “We are checking the veracity of these reports.”
On Friday, former education secretary and LP stalwart Florencio “Butch” Abad said Atienza’s “bogus” anniversary event has made his group “the laughing stock in coffee houses.”
Abad described Atienza’s antics as “amusing because clearly these are acts of desperation meant to sow confusion and project the LP as deeply divided when we’re not.” He said that the Supreme Court had already issued a ruling voiding the election held by Atienza and his allies to elect a new group to replace the board led by Drilon.
Roxas, who is widely expected to be the party’s standard bearer in 2010, has offered to reconcile with Atienza in order to reunite the LP but the Cabinet official has refused. Atienza has filed a case with the Commission on Elections disputing Roxas’ proclamation as LP president last November.
Quezon Representative and LP member Erin Tañada said the real LP anniversary would be held on January 30 with a whole-day community service program in the village of Commonwealth in Quezon City to be held in partnership with Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte.
Argee Gallardo & Henry Bacurnay, The Liberal Party
