Saving Escudero From Shame

By Herbert Vego

WILL Senate President Francis Escudero yield to public demand by calling for a special session of the recessed Senate to convene into an impeachment court to try Vice President Sara Duterte?

“No,” he said, “the Senate cannot hold a special session on its own to act on the impeachment complaint.”

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon went to the rescue, saying that, while the Senate is in recess, only the President of the Philippines can call for a special session.

Should President  Ferdinand Marcos Jr. heed that constitutional prerogative, it would be a face saver for Escudero, who is now being lambasted in the media for finding ways to abort the impeachment trial of VP Sara because he is a “DDS.”

It is common knowledge, however, that he is a good friend of the impeached subject, who certainly hates being made to answer the impeachment complaint. This is evident in her Supreme Court motion to stop the trial from rolling.

Incidentally, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has denied the rumor that he was being “groomed” to replace the Senate President.

I know of someone who wrote that it was Escudero who had compelled Senator Grace Poe to run for president in 2016 along with many other “presidentiables” in the same race – including Jejomar Binay, Mar Roxas and the late Miriam Defensor Santiago –to gainS winning advantage for candidate Rodrigo Duterte. No, this is not to imply she was paid to run.

But why should Poe run for the highest position in 2016? Remember, her first term of office as senator would end in 2019.

-oOo-

MARTIN SORIANO IN ‘ISKRAMBOL’

OPENING soon is Iskrambol Shoppe in Malaria, Caloocan City, owned by our fellow Ilonggo, Martin Soriano, who remains memorable for being the first and only person on record to swim the Guimaras-Iloilo Strait, a 7.7 km (4.2 nautical miles) on 7 August 1994 – almost 31 years ago.

The last time I wrote about Martin was on October 24, 2022 when he “subdued” Bernard Arnault, the French chairman and chief executive officer of the world-famous fashion firm Louis Vuitton Malletier, maker of LV products.

In other words, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in Taguig City dismissed Arnault’s complaint accusing him of piracy for using “LV” as brand of his local deodorant products made from potassium alum (“tawas”).

Going back to Martin’s Iskrambol Shoppe, it will sell the familiar ice scramble, which, according to him, “originated from Iloilo. So, we are into this business to defend Iloilo roots.”

Martin’s ice scramble is not the usual ice with cheap milk, sugar and food color.  It’s enriched with non-fat dry milk, chocolate and marshmallows, too.

Aber, Mart, expand ka na diri sa Iloilo.

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MORE CLARIFICATION ON LOREN-RAY SPLIT

THIS writer does no PR work for former Valderrama, Antique Mayor Ray Roquero. So, when I wrote in a previous column that Senator Loren Legarda had dropped him like a hot potato as her anointed candidate for Antique governor in favor of Paolo Javier, it was simply because he had been telling everybody he was her gubernatorial bet.

But as former Governor Sally Perez clarified in another issue in this corner, it was Ray himself who had opted to back out and run for party-list congressman instead, representing Anak-Kalusugan, which prompted Loren to choose Paolo Javier as replacement.

“No. 2 nominee,” complained my friend Bong after I had written that Ray was only a No. 3 nominee.

Still it could not be denied that Legarda, who had been congresswoman of Antique, thinks Paolo would be a stronger candidate for governor than Ray.

She thinks that Javier could win more votes not just for himself but for the senator’s brother, Agapito “AA”, who is a re-electionist for congressman against “graduating” Governor Rhodora “Dodod” Cadiao.

Ironically, Gov Dodod and Cong AA ran as a team in 2022.

Now, as to why Loren and Dodod parted ways, pamangkuta n’yo ang mga kontraktor; they know.