Such A Shame

News came out today that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's (GMA) sons are now seeking the ouster of Speaker Jose De Venecia from the House leadership. According to the article, the move was in response to the attacks the Speaker's son, Jose "Joey" De Venecia III, had previously levelled against the President's husband. Joey De Venecia had accused First Gentleman Mike Arroyo of involvement in kickbacks that surrounded the controversial ZTE deal.

The attacks have become more personal lately when the President's children brought up Joey de Venecia's past drug use, basically insinuating that the Speaker's son is mentally impaired or imbalanced.

All this back and forth between the two politically powerful families reminds us of how power can truly corrupt not just one person but also his/her entire family. Gone are the days when a President's family was content to remain in the background, shying away from the political limelight. Instead of getting involved in politics, family members used to involve themselves in charitable work and special, non-political projects.

However, those days seem to be over now. These days, it has become common for members of a President's family to throw their hat in the political ring and capitalize on the fame of their family name. Never mind if they're not really qualified and skilled enough to do the job. To convince themselves that they're up to the job of Senator, Congressman, Governor, or Mayor, all they need to do is listen to the seemingly endless praises heaped on them by the lapdogs they often surround themselves with.

And now it seems to me that based on these two news articles, the Arroyo children seem to be on their way to setting a new low in terms of public behavior. To supposedly defend their family honor, the sons have used their positions in Congress to openly attack a sitting Speaker and blatantly engage in political maneuverings to unseat the latter.

They have so far employed no subtlety and have shown no political savviness or sophistication in the manner by which they are attempting to unseat the Speaker. Instead of being savvy enough to let their political aides or Congressional allies do the dirty work for them, these guys have decided to do the dirty work themselves. The Filipino word "garapal" best describes the approach they are employing.

The sons' actions are disappointing and regrettable. Their conduct unbecoming of a Congressman, let alone a sitting President's child. The next Presidential elections aren't scheduled until May 2010. It's very unfortunate for what it simply means is that we still have two years to go before we see an end to this shameful and disgraceful public spectacle.